Northeast Allen Fire and EMS to hold fundraiser for firefighter's wife as she battles Stage 4 brain cancer
News-SentinelNov 10, 2017
"I thought maybe I'd get some muscle relaxers," the 34-year-old mother of three said.
However, her ER visit led to tests that revealed Stage 4 brain cancer. Two weeks later she had surgery that removed 80 percent of her tumor, followed by two forms of chemotherapy along with radiation at
The medical bills are piling up, and will likely be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. To help,
The fire department has been helpful by delivering meals to the family two or three times a week, said
The cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, is fast-growing and aggressive. Her only other symptom, difficulty walking, was another reason she thought she had a pinched nerve. She now uses a walker to get around.
About 20 percent of her brain tumor remained because her neurosurgeon worried that damage to the area where it was could have given her a stroke or poor quality of life, she said. So she must do chemotherapy infusions and pills along with the radiation.
She and her husband didn't hide her diagnosis from the children, Bradley, 15; Victoria, 6; and Joselyn, 5.
"We told them about it right away," she said. "They (the younger ones) just know I had an ouchy. The 15-year-old we told more."
It left the young girls a bit frightened.
When she would go for medical treatment they would ask, "Are you going to come back home?" she said.
To help, she took the children to see where she got her radiation treatments.
The diagnosis has changed the family's plans.
"The day we went to the hospital ER, we'd just had an inspection for a home we'd planned to buy," she said. Now they will see how they can fix up their
FUNDRAISER TO HELP
WHAT: All-you-can-eat-pancakes-and-sausage fundraiser
WHEN:
WHERE:
COST:
For questions or to make a donation toward the breakfast event supplies or give money to the family, contact fire chief
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