It All Counts

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On Tue, Mar 5, 2024 at 5:27 PM, Mary Ann Bender

<[email redacted]> wrote:

Looks like you got it all, it looks good.

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On Mar 5, 2024, at 5:08 PM, Christina Clifford <[email redacted]> wrote:



CDCR Family & Friends, The Mary Ann Bender Family could use our help. Mary Ann and her husband have both been employed with CDCR for nearly 20 years each, her husband an Officer and Mary Ann the backbone of the C&PR’s office. Having met while both working on Fort Hunter Liggett, on March 5th, they will be celebrating their 30th Wedding Anniversary, they have two children who complete their family of four.

It has taken everything from those around them to let us reach out for them and ask for help. They are private people who as Mary Ann says, What makes my fight, me any different, when so many others need help too. The difference is they’ve never asked, that’s why we want to help.

Mary Ann is 53 years old and started her battle in 2014 with an Endometrium Ablation, then it was the gallbladder, adios in 2016. Leading to Emergency Ovary removal in 2017. In 2018, Fibroids in her Uterus leading to a Hysterectomy. (One ovary hanging on) Developing a major infection from the Hysterectomy. In 2019 she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer which led to a Double Mastectomy and Reconstruction in 2020. (Recurrence in 2021 and 2023) Taking nearly a year off of work only to return to Covid. All the while her body trying to heal and neither of them asking for anything. Coming to work day in and day out with her body fighting itself. Never giving up, busting her butt at work and home. Thankful her daughter is really enjoying learning to cook. Mary Ann loves work and home life and providing assistance to those around her that make her feel needed, she loves being able to contribute. When she’s at work or home, living life, she sees herself as providing what others need. Not being a patient or viewed as someone who needs help.

The 2021 re-occurrence with two lymph nodes in her chest and a nodule on her lung. She went through radiation and chemo while still coming into work. Smiling, making sure everyone she came across felt her warmth. She was put on a Steroid that made her sick, took her sweets from her (forced diabetes) amongst multiple other serious side effects. This last Fall 2023 she couldn’t take the headaches anymore and ended up in the ER, the re-occurrence now had Metastasized to her brain. Her doctor didn’t get an MRI for three weeks. After the MRI she was told she had 4 tumors on her brain. It was at this time she changed back to a PPO so she could be the Doctor that treated her breast cancer.

Luckily in the Winter Mary Ann was given the opportunity to work from home, to not be exposed to people's illnesses and still contribute to the team at work while her body continued to fight the re-occurrence in her chest and her Brain.

Up to this point Mary Ann would literally take a break from work for treatment, drive to Chemo / Radiation and return to work. Now she can do that from the comfort of her own home. In January when Mary Ann was able to finally see her trusted Doctor she had a PET scan done. The tumors in her brain are shrinking. She’s fighting the side effects of the Steroid, treatment, dizziness, dementia, weakened muscles, falling, nausea, the list goes on.

This is where you come in, every little bit helps. Since switching to a PPO the out of pocket costs have impacted this family. Everyone knows finances are hard on any family, let’s try to pitch in to take a little burden off. For those of you at CMC there will be a collection kept upstairs with, CCI Christina Clifford. Or providing them gift cards for gas, Albertsons, Hello Fresh, anything helps. Thank you