Michael Penn/ Tina Penn

This picture was taken when my son came home in May 2015 to surprise me for Mother's Day. Just five months later, I received a call that would change our lives forever. While deployed to Okinawa, Japan my son had a seizure and scans confirmed that he had a very large tumor in his brain. The call was at 9:00 pm on a Tuesday. I was at the airport for 4:00 am the next morning. By the time I arrived in Japan, Michael...by beautiful son, had undergone a 7 1/2 hour "debulking" surgery to remove a tennis ball sized tumor in his right frontal lobe. Then came the devastating diagnosis: Glioblastoma Multiform Grade IV. Through the grace of God and the help of friends, family, the Marine Corps, and coworkers (who donated vacation time), I was able to stay with my son during his initial treatment in Japan and San Diego. The truth is that I would not have...could not have...left him. I am so very thankful for the care, love and generosity that we received. This has been a long journey that no mother...no parent, spouse, or loved one should ever have to travel. I love my son with all my heart. If I could take this from him, I would without a second thought. If you are a parent, I think you understand.

Michael is home recovering. I love spending time with him. I love having talks with him. He has MRI'S every 2 to 3 months to determine if there are any changes. (Hold my breath...wait for the results...no changes....BREATHE...give thanks to God. Pray for good results in 3 months.) Time is so precious now.
Here comes the difficult part. The part where I ask for help. Where do you turn when the weight is almost too much? Without my faith, the weight would have crushed me already. God is good. Prayer is powerful. I try not to "worry about tomorrow" but the well is dry. Before Michael's diagnosis, I worked as much overtime as I could to make ends meet. I am a single mother, but I always managed to get the ends to meet, somehow. It is not easy to ask for help. I worry. I worry about the possibility of making the ends meet, about spending as much time as I can with my son, and where the resources will come from if we have to travel again for treatment. I am working full time again...but I am barely staying above water. And precious time passes. So, I ask for help.