- B
- K
- T
It’s a Cat Fight!
If you can’t fly then run,
If you can’t run then walk,
If you can’t walk then crawl
But whatever you do
You have to
Keep moving forward.
Martin Luther King Jr.
I met Cathy in 2003 when she was referred to me by a customer as someone who really “needed a job”. Somehow my customer knew that while Cathy needed me for financial security, I needed Cathy as a friend and teacher. Over the 13 years I’ve known her, Cathy has inspired many, been a friend to many, a confident and taught us all what it is to have courage.
Cathy’s story around ovarian cancer started two months after I met her in 2003. That’s right – for over 13 years she has been fighting cancer. First she had major surgery and aggressive chemotherapy and then followed that with radiation. It seemed to stall the cancer cells and for five years she believed that she had beaten the odds. Her respite from cancer was short-lived and soon disappointment set in when a few days after her five year birthday (free from cancer), she started to once again have symptoms of ovarian cancer. She went in for an oncology appointment and found out that she had new tumors. Again they performed surgery and began a regime of chemotherapy. Except for a brief six month period when Cathy neededed her body to rest, Cathy has had non-stop treatment since 2008. For 7 ½ years she has been poisoned with chemo, endured painful nerve damage in her leg, lost the use of vital organs (kidney), had bowel obstructions, had major infections that have raged within her body resulting in hospital stays and requiring heavy duty antibiotics and so much more. Enough is enough.
Cathy has a lot to live for. She knows she does and her number one person in her life is her son Jack.
THIS IS JACK’S STORY
Being a little boy I can remember the first time my mom had cancer, but being 7 years old I didn’t quite understand how horrible cancer can be. After being diagnosed in 2003 with ovarian cancer, she successfully completed her chemotherapy treatment and went into remission. Five years later in 2008 the cancer was back, and since, has showed little signs of defeat. I can remember thinking early on that if she had conquered it once she can conquer it again, not knowing that almost 8 years later the battle would turn into a journey. It is hard to see a person battling cancer, it sometimes looks like the life has just been sucked right out of them, but that is not the case with my mom. She is the biggest ball of light I know, living her life as best she possibly can. She has been a motivator to many, inspiring people with her strong work ethic and willingness to never give up, no matter how tough some days may be. My mom is the strongest woman I know; she has handled one of the worst things in life like a champion. During times when she just wants to stay in bed because her body is too weak to move, she doesn’t, she gets out of bed almost everyday with determination in her blood, not willing to give up, not willing to let cancer define her life and how she lives it, not letting it slow her down. After 8 years of continuous chemotherapy, my mom is tired of living with constant sickness and poor quality of life. Although work is what is supporting her financially, it is not what needs to be prioritized before her health. Ultimately I would like for my mom to be home, not working and focusing on her health. In order for this to become a reality she needs some help financially, even if it is only a little, it is a lot of help. Sometimes life can be unfair and while we may never know why we are given the challenges we face, we know that there is a lesson to take away from it all.
It’s been a lot this year and from a financial standpoint, too much. Cathy has decided that she needs to reprioritize her life and live a quality life. What does a quality life look like to Cathy? It is one where she can stay home from work if she feels too sick to work. It is one where she can create a memory with her son or parents by taking a trip or doing something special with them. It is being able to buy a wig when her hair falls out. It is being able to pay the tens of thousands dollars in medical bills she has accumulated and that won’t stop until she quits or cancer wins. Does the world need Cathy Smith? You bet we do as someone who teaches us about courage, as someone who teaches us humility, as someone who teaches us love. Please help Cathy have stress-free and amazing quality of life by making a donation.
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do”
If you can’t fly then run,
If you can’t run then walk,
If you can’t walk then crawl
But whatever you do
You have to
Keep moving forward.
Martin Luther King Jr.
I met Cathy in 2003 when she was referred to me by a customer as someone who really “needed a job”. Somehow my customer knew that while Cathy needed me for financial security, I needed Cathy as a friend and teacher. Over the 13 years I’ve known her, Cathy has inspired many, been a friend to many, a confident and taught us all what it is to have courage.
Cathy’s story around ovarian cancer started two months after I met her in 2003. That’s right – for over 13 years she has been fighting cancer. First she had major surgery and aggressive chemotherapy and then followed that with radiation. It seemed to stall the cancer cells and for five years she believed that she had beaten the odds. Her respite from cancer was short-lived and soon disappointment set in when a few days after her five year birthday (free from cancer), she started to once again have symptoms of ovarian cancer. She went in for an oncology appointment and found out that she had new tumors. Again they performed surgery and began a regime of chemotherapy. Except for a brief six month period when Cathy neededed her body to rest, Cathy has had non-stop treatment since 2008. For 7 ½ years she has been poisoned with chemo, endured painful nerve damage in her leg, lost the use of vital organs (kidney), had bowel obstructions, had major infections that have raged within her body resulting in hospital stays and requiring heavy duty antibiotics and so much more. Enough is enough.
Cathy has a lot to live for. She knows she does and her number one person in her life is her son Jack.
THIS IS JACK’S STORY
Being a little boy I can remember the first time my mom had cancer, but being 7 years old I didn’t quite understand how horrible cancer can be. After being diagnosed in 2003 with ovarian cancer, she successfully completed her chemotherapy treatment and went into remission. Five years later in 2008 the cancer was back, and since, has showed little signs of defeat. I can remember thinking early on that if she had conquered it once she can conquer it again, not knowing that almost 8 years later the battle would turn into a journey. It is hard to see a person battling cancer, it sometimes looks like the life has just been sucked right out of them, but that is not the case with my mom. She is the biggest ball of light I know, living her life as best she possibly can. She has been a motivator to many, inspiring people with her strong work ethic and willingness to never give up, no matter how tough some days may be. My mom is the strongest woman I know; she has handled one of the worst things in life like a champion. During times when she just wants to stay in bed because her body is too weak to move, she doesn’t, she gets out of bed almost everyday with determination in her blood, not willing to give up, not willing to let cancer define her life and how she lives it, not letting it slow her down. After 8 years of continuous chemotherapy, my mom is tired of living with constant sickness and poor quality of life. Although work is what is supporting her financially, it is not what needs to be prioritized before her health. Ultimately I would like for my mom to be home, not working and focusing on her health. In order for this to become a reality she needs some help financially, even if it is only a little, it is a lot of help. Sometimes life can be unfair and while we may never know why we are given the challenges we face, we know that there is a lesson to take away from it all.
It’s been a lot this year and from a financial standpoint, too much. Cathy has decided that she needs to reprioritize her life and live a quality life. What does a quality life look like to Cathy? It is one where she can stay home from work if she feels too sick to work. It is one where she can create a memory with her son or parents by taking a trip or doing something special with them. It is being able to buy a wig when her hair falls out. It is being able to pay the tens of thousands dollars in medical bills she has accumulated and that won’t stop until she quits or cancer wins. Does the world need Cathy Smith? You bet we do as someone who teaches us about courage, as someone who teaches us humility, as someone who teaches us love. Please help Cathy have stress-free and amazing quality of life by making a donation.
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do”