Tina's Recovery Fund

On June 15th at 8 a.m. Our dear friend Tina Bennett is going in to have reconstructive surgery on her right hand due to the reoccurring tumors from her battle with Liposarcoma and severe arthritis. (Liposarcoma is a rare cancer of connective tissues that resemble fat cells under a microscope. It accounts for up to 18% of all soft tissue sarcomas. Liposarcoma can occur in almost any part of the body, but more than half of Liposarcoma cases involve the thigh, and up to a third involve the abdominal cavity.) She will not have use of her right hand for a minimum of 3 months, possibly up to 6, depending on how she heals. As we all know, Tina is an Executive Pastry Chef/Caterer and her life’s work is creating art through pastry – which is a very “hands on” job. Even though her doctors have informed her that she may never be able to hold a pastry bag again, Tina is determined to not let the disease destroy her dreams and refuses to give up her love of Golf.

Since moving to Arizona Tina has successfully worked as a marketing contractor for a variety of different businesses while expanding her business, Vanilla Swirl. A little over a year ago she contracted Valley Fever from a huge wall of dust that penetrated her home thru the ventilation system. Due to a severe allergic reaction to one of the shots she was given, she lost her eyesight within weeks. After searching for an Ophthalmologist for 6 months (she has a severe latex allergy and none of the doctors would take her case on for fear of putting her in harm's way), she finally had the masses removed from her eyes by September 2016. After months of recovery she finally returned to work in October of 2016. During a follow up exam 5 months later she was told the masses have returned and are starting to affect her sight once again. Tina will also be having additional surgery within the next few months to have them removed once again.

Tina is also a devoted mother to her Blind/Autistic son, Steven (Aka, “Hollywood”). For those who are familiar with what Autism entails, you will know that Tina’s life is very busy, 24/7. Thankfully Tina and Steven have a very close connection and he helps the best he can, but there are obvious limitations.

Because of this situation, I am reaching out to Tina’s friends to help Tina get through this trying time in her life. Tina desperately needs help to cover her monthly expenses (rent, utilities, etc.) for at least the next 3 months, hopefully more, so she can focus on getting herself healthy.

Tina takes pride in volunteering for various causes and is quick to step up to help in any way she can whether she’s asked to or not. She donates not only her creations, but her time as well, which can sometimes be donating over 20 hours a week for various events and hundreds of dollars’ worth of product. Even with her limited eyesight last year, she donated over 3,000 cookies to different non-profits, donated cakes, pies and more to help various groups raise money as well. Tina truly doesn't know the word "No" when it comes to helping various causes because, she just wants to help everyone!

It’s now Tina’s turn to get some help so she can focus on healing, tending to Hollywood and her 6 ‘fur babies’., not to mention working to get her back to making those amazing creations that we all love and crave!! Knowing Tina and her tenacity, she will fight her way through this and we will not only see her back on the golf course, but also winning cake competitions again this Fall!

I know with all of us helping, even if it’s just a little bit, we can help Tina get through this difficult time and give her a fighting chance to properly recover without losing everything she’s worked so hard to accomplish. Our goal is $15,000 which should be ‘just enough’ to get Tina’s housing and minimum living expenses covered for 5 months.

Thank you for caring enough to read this and for your prayers for Tina and Hollywood during this difficult time! We will keep you updated with her progress. ♥