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Two surgeries and cancer left us hurting

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Hello everyone,
My name is Brian. I am starting this for my wife and our family. This is our story of how sudden illness has threatened our family security.

We live in Wilmington, Delaware and have two boys. One is five and one is 21 months old. I have a full time job that I love, and my wife, Katie, teaches a few courses here and there at local colleges (she has a PhD but has been unable to find full-time work). Up until February this year, we were getting by.

Suddenly Katie started having stomach pains and went to the doctor. She was told her gallbladder needed to be removed. Further, the imaging for the gallbladder revealed a tumor on her kidney, which was  renal cancer. She has no risk factors at all -- the cancer is just a freak thing. It was lucky that the tumor was discovered incidentally, before it got too large. She had her gallbladder removed in February, and we scheduled surgery to remove the tumor and part of her kidney in May. (We wanted to wait until the semester was over so she could earn as much as possible before the surgery.) A week before her surgery, she had severe tooth pain and had to have an infected molar extracted! (There is no money to replace the tooth right now.) Then she had the kidney surgery in May, which required a few days in the hospital, and had to recover at home for a few weeks. A sudden setback sent her to the emergency room two weeks after surgery, generating yet another large bill. She will have to go back for check-ups every six months for the next few years to make sure the cancer doesn't return. Because she was unable to work in May and part of June, she couldn't accept summer teaching and tutoring jobs. 

We have never been beggars and are very much a middle class family, doing our best to support ourselves and save as much as we can.  However, our bills, even with insurance, are starting to rack up, and our income is much reduced because Katie couldn't work. Our savings are almost depleted. We need to be able to pay our medical and dental bills, pay our mortgage, and keep our boys fed and clothed. 

We have already received so much help from our friends in hot meals during surgery recovery, cards and well wishes. All we ask of you, our friends, and those who have read this, is for a little pick me up.  Anything that you might be able to do to help pay the bills.
Thank you
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Donations 

  • Jennifer Grieco
    • $100 
    • 10 yrs
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Organizer

Brian Turner
Organizer
Wilmington, DE

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