Serpil Rawson | Cancer Fund

There are few people in the world that I would describe as a hero - someone I look up to or that I would want my children to look up to. Well, Serpil is our hero. She's an amazing mom, wife, sister, friend and is filled with grace and hope. Our world needs more Serpil's in it. 

My brother visited Istanbul after his divorce and met this wonderful woman named Serpil. Honestly, we thought he was ridiculous until we met her. She was smart, she was a stock broker, she was simply amazing. They dated for a bit and then she applied for her VISA to come to America. During this application, she found out that she had breast cancer. But that didn't stop them. Her and my brother ended up marrying. The wedding took place in my backyard, she been through chemo and was bald, so she wore the most beautiful wig made of her own hair. I remember thinking she was the most beautiful bride I had ever seen. We shared the same wedding dress, so it was even more special. 

Over the coming months, they blended families. Arda, her son and her, obtained green cards. Arda began calling my brother dad. He learned to play football and many other things. Arda loved the concept of having a dad that loved him with all his heart and was involved in his daily life. Glen's boys love Arda like a brother as well. It's like the three amigos, and truly if you saw the comedy sometimes, you would agree. 

Well, Serpil's cancer didn't stop. We celebrated when they said she was cancer free... only to be informed a few months later that it had metatasized and gone into her bones and lymph nodes. 

Like any hero would, she had a breast masectomy and removed her infected lymph nodes. Then she proceeded to have the red devil (strongest) chemo and weekly radiation. She is so strong, most of us would have laid down and died (literally), but not Serpil. Her friend Lisa took her to her red devil chemo treatments and Serpil would ask her after if they could go shopping. Lisa would stare at her in shock and say, you should probably go home and rest. That's just our Serpil. Even the worst chemo, red devil, doesn't take her down. She doesn't complain, she has worked up to 40 hours a week through this process and still cooks dinner. Who does that? Serpil does that. A hero does that. 

If that wasn't enough for our dear Serpil, a few weeks ago, the doctors told her on a Tuesday that she had a cancerous tumor in her brain that needed to be removed that week. So our serpil signed up for brain surgery and had it removed on Friday. 

Real heroes, keep fighting. She is strong and she is recovering. But unfortunately, the medical bills never stop. It doesn't matter how hard you fight or how strong you are, masectomies, lymph node removal, chemo, radiation, brain surgery, all come with an unbelievable price tag.

My brother is a stud. He's a Boise detective and has been for more than a decade, a detective that helps his community everyday. He protects our kiddos, he protects us, but they just don't get paid anywhere near what they deserve. The financial devestation of this disease is not fair. He works overtime and she works hard. We just want them to have help and recover together. They are a family of heroes who deserve it. 

Arda needs to be legally adopted so that he can remain in the United States with the family he loves. That has been quoted to cost from $20-$30K. We would also like to raise money to help her family visit the U.S. and provide her and her family with support.

We don't know how to help our hero, Serpil, except by asking for your help. Cancer is horrible. There's no cure, there's no reason and there's no cause. We ask you to help our dear Serpil and her family that we love.