Eileen’s Story
Donation protected
In September last year, my dear sweet wife of 27 years, Eileen Gertrude Carr Rutter, was diagnosed with stage 4 small cell carcinoma in the lungs, lymph nodes, and a few other places. This is a particularly evil and fast-spreading non-operable cancer that statistically has had very low survival rates.
Eileen went through 5 chemo treatments and 10 radiation treatments in two areas, with the usual side effects, but she recently had a setback and was in the hospital for over two weeks with fluid in her lungs along with congestive fluid around the heart. The sad news is that the cancer is spreading. They drained the fluids and she has started another regimen of chemo treatments.
Eileen is a trooper and worries more about our “kids”, dinner and the laundry. Eileen is a loving mother of 3 (Marty, Molly, Danny). Being much more patient than I, she has successfully talked our kids “off the ledge” on many occasions (and still does). A great fun-loving wife to an intense “itchy” husband – me.
Her rich beautiful brunette hair – gone. She’s down to her teenage weight and struggles with nausea, appetite loss, energy loss.
Aside from this struggle, medical costs are rising and income isn’t.
How many times have you seen someone who evokes the sentiment, “If you think you have it bad, take a look at him.”? When times get tough, the weight of it bears down harder than you would have expected or imagined. How many times have we informed or have been told, “If there’s anything at all I can do, just let me know - anything!” Whenever I have heard those words, I never really thought we’d have cause to take anyone up on it. Yet, here I am on behalf of my wife and our family.
It’s surreal to find ourselves here. Some really good friends told me not to let my pride get the best of me. We have some really remarkable friends. It is with a great deal of humility that we post this. All we can do is promise to put it to good use and pass the kindness forward. May God bless us all.
Eileen went through 5 chemo treatments and 10 radiation treatments in two areas, with the usual side effects, but she recently had a setback and was in the hospital for over two weeks with fluid in her lungs along with congestive fluid around the heart. The sad news is that the cancer is spreading. They drained the fluids and she has started another regimen of chemo treatments.
Eileen is a trooper and worries more about our “kids”, dinner and the laundry. Eileen is a loving mother of 3 (Marty, Molly, Danny). Being much more patient than I, she has successfully talked our kids “off the ledge” on many occasions (and still does). A great fun-loving wife to an intense “itchy” husband – me.
Her rich beautiful brunette hair – gone. She’s down to her teenage weight and struggles with nausea, appetite loss, energy loss.
Aside from this struggle, medical costs are rising and income isn’t.
How many times have you seen someone who evokes the sentiment, “If you think you have it bad, take a look at him.”? When times get tough, the weight of it bears down harder than you would have expected or imagined. How many times have we informed or have been told, “If there’s anything at all I can do, just let me know - anything!” Whenever I have heard those words, I never really thought we’d have cause to take anyone up on it. Yet, here I am on behalf of my wife and our family.
It’s surreal to find ourselves here. Some really good friends told me not to let my pride get the best of me. We have some really remarkable friends. It is with a great deal of humility that we post this. All we can do is promise to put it to good use and pass the kindness forward. May God bless us all.
Organizer
Don Rutter
Organizer
Buffalo, NY
