In 2024, Elizabeth was rushed to the hospital for severe abdominal pain. Upon examination, they determined that her appendix had ruptured and she would need to be rushed into emergency surgery. When the surgeon was removing her appendix, they identified a tumor. This was also removed and then sent for further testing. When those tests came back, they showed that she was positive for cancer cells. After a few more weeks and another essential surgery to remove a third of her colon, they took lymph samples and found cancer cells in multiple lymph nodes. We now had a name for her cancer: stage 4 metastatic goblet cell adenocarcinoma. She was given a terminal diagnosis. She has now been undergoing chemo treatments for over a year. Her type of cancer is very aggressive and can spread anywhere in the body. They believe she may never be off of the chemo treatments. These treatments have caused her to battle many side effects and symptoms daily, which in turn has pulled her away from her normal daily life. She is unable to return to work, which has caused much stress financially and emotionally for her. She is also navigating all of this while caring for her children, the youngest of which is 7.

She is taking this one day at a time and trying to enjoy each moment with them and her family as much as possible. Watching her go through this has been one of the hardest things our family has ever faced. Cancer doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed—it changes the lives of everyone who loves them, especially her children. The treatments, the waiting, the fear is a rollercoaster no one asks to ride. She’s fighting this disease with everything she has. Her resilience reminds us daily what true strength looks like. Our hope is to relieve some of her financial needs. She is in need of a car to get to and from appointments, and anything helps take some of that stress off of her shoulders.

Whether it’s sending a donation, words of encouragement, prayers, or just holding space in your heart for her and her children—every bit of kindness means more than you know. Thank you so much!