A Rare Gem

                                   ~ "Given to or made with heedful anticipation of the needs and happiness of others ."~
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      KIND
                                                                                              
 I was trying to think of the perfect word to describe my friend Terri. The one perfect word.  "KIND" remained in my head. Just  KIND ? There has to be a better word than just  KIND. Something more  exciting.  An attention grabber and  dazzling.  So I decided to look up the word kind. When I read the meaning, it  described my friend  PERFECTLY. Terri  defines what it means  to be kind ~ "Given to or made with heedful anticipation of the needs and happiness of others ."
 
I put together this campaign  to raise funds for Terri,  A  RARE   GEM.  She  was recently diagnosed with a very  RARE brain tumor, Acoustic Neuroma, another  RARE GEM. I know most do not consider a tumor a gem, but a neurologist may disagree. Looking back now, you can see there were signs, but no one never suspected a BRAIN TUMOR. 

In  March Terri  was diagnosed with Burning Mouth Syndrome, a neurological disorder. Just as it sounds, your mouth and lips burn, and there is no cure. I remember Terri was pretty bummed about it because eating her favorite, Mexican food, it really set her mouth on fire.  Then she started getting dizzy spells and loss of balance, along with bad headaches. One time she said she felt tipsy and dizzy! 

So when she called me in January and told me she had a brain tumor, I was stunned and in disbelief.  Nothing could have prepared me for what she said.  "Michelle, I just found out I have a brain tumor. I know a little scary. They don’t think it is cancerous, but I’ll find out in a few weeks.  And you’re never going to believe this, the tumor is what caused my burning mouth and when they remove it my mouth won’t burn. I’m so excited I will be able to eat Mexican food again!"


Since being diagnosed, with she has not complained, felt sorry for herself, or slowed down. She goes to work at the Veterans hospital and continues to dedicate her life to helping others improve their quality of life, and enriching the lives of those she meets. Terri volunteers to do extra work and completes tasks no one else wants to do. She has been at the hospital with veterans when they took their last breath because she didn’t want them to be alone.

What many don't know is that Federal  employees are not covered by disability. So basically if you get sick or injured and will be out a longtime, you're out of luck and money.  It’s a little ironic to have major life altering surgery only to come home to a mountain of  bills. Mortgage payments, car payments,  phone, groceries, water, PG&E... bills, bills, bills.  My wish and goal is to raise enough money to pay all of Terri's bills and necessities for at least three months so she can focus on her recovery and not  worry.  The goal is $20,000, which breaks down to 5-6 thousand dollars a month based on a 3-4-month recovery. 
I want to thank you in advance for your contribution.  Your help will support Terri in moving forward and continue to enrich the lives of those she meets.
Thank you for 
Michelle Howell, LCSW