On August 11th, we lost our beloved Donna Ann Reilly to her 3 year-long battle with multiple myeloma. The road has been very tough, but she is now with God, and her pain is no longer daunting on her anymore.
Her battle started in late 2016, beginning with pain starting to form around her jaw, in which we did not even conceive the idea of cancer as a possibility. Sadly the diagnosis was as such. As a family, we did not fall back but came forward, ready to help Donna every step of the way. It was hard. Extremely hard. Her pain was immeasurable, but she was strong. Maybe the strongest fighter anyone could ever imagine. Every treatment, every doctor visit, every step back, she kept going no matter how much she wanted to give up. She never did.
When you think of a step back you may think becoming lethargic, or loss of hair is usually the big one in this case. She's had her femur break in half from cancer's effect on the body, and even through that she came up again and was walking in a matter of weeks. Donna was resilient in all aspects of her life, and she truly was resilient through every step.
Donna was funny, charismatic, witty, courageous, bold, the list goes on. She battled with many demons in her life, and even to the end battled with one of the worst. She was a nerd at heart, having so many collectibles of Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, DC, etc. It's was what lit her up. Every year, the Christmas tree was filled with TONS of ornaments with different characters on them. You turn the lights on, and Darth Vader would greet you as you walked by. It was always the little things she did. That's what made Donna special. She wasn't normal, she wasn't a saint, she was Donna. She liked what she liked, she loved who she loved, she was herself. True and honest. She had the biggest smile in the room, and the loudest voice out of the bunch. I don't think many people can admit or say to be truly themselves, and she did that every day of her life.
In 2018 her cancer had been defined as in remission and her battle seemed to be over. She had won. Ready for the rest of her life to unfold. As this was the plan, God's plan was different. It came back stronger than before and the story is being told today. I feel I'm the best to tell this story, as I am her son, Sean.
I've seen every step of her cancer treatment. Her good days, her bad days, and her rock bottom. She told me she wanted to start a food truck after she got better. Start a new life, be free, enjoy what life had to offer, but she never got there. Instead, her life came to an end this past weekend, and it has been the hardest thing I've ever been through.
Now we have to look forward. My family and I will live life to the fullest just as she told me she wanted to. She was always there for me no matter what. She encouraged me to go out, take every opportunity as it comes, and never waste a day. And I will never waste one again.
This whole situation does, come at a cost. Literally. Through our battle with my mother, medical bills have started to pile up. They are way too much for us to be able to take care of it, so now we are asking for your help.
Her cancer treatments, hospital visits, medicine, everything has come out to more than 150,000 dollars. On top of that, her memorial services have become very pricey as well. It's overwhelming. To get the immediate family through the rest of the year, all her medical bills covered, and to make sure her funeral, and cremation are covered is what we’re trying to achieve. Obviously we don’t expect to get all of this covered, but anything would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully, we can gather these funds as soon as possible, to ensure some economic reassurance within our family. All funds will be handled by myself and my father.
With the grace of God, and through the help of friends, acquaintances, even strangers, we can get through this.
I love you, Momma. I know you're always with me.
Her battle started in late 2016, beginning with pain starting to form around her jaw, in which we did not even conceive the idea of cancer as a possibility. Sadly the diagnosis was as such. As a family, we did not fall back but came forward, ready to help Donna every step of the way. It was hard. Extremely hard. Her pain was immeasurable, but she was strong. Maybe the strongest fighter anyone could ever imagine. Every treatment, every doctor visit, every step back, she kept going no matter how much she wanted to give up. She never did.
When you think of a step back you may think becoming lethargic, or loss of hair is usually the big one in this case. She's had her femur break in half from cancer's effect on the body, and even through that she came up again and was walking in a matter of weeks. Donna was resilient in all aspects of her life, and she truly was resilient through every step.
Donna was funny, charismatic, witty, courageous, bold, the list goes on. She battled with many demons in her life, and even to the end battled with one of the worst. She was a nerd at heart, having so many collectibles of Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, DC, etc. It's was what lit her up. Every year, the Christmas tree was filled with TONS of ornaments with different characters on them. You turn the lights on, and Darth Vader would greet you as you walked by. It was always the little things she did. That's what made Donna special. She wasn't normal, she wasn't a saint, she was Donna. She liked what she liked, she loved who she loved, she was herself. True and honest. She had the biggest smile in the room, and the loudest voice out of the bunch. I don't think many people can admit or say to be truly themselves, and she did that every day of her life.
In 2018 her cancer had been defined as in remission and her battle seemed to be over. She had won. Ready for the rest of her life to unfold. As this was the plan, God's plan was different. It came back stronger than before and the story is being told today. I feel I'm the best to tell this story, as I am her son, Sean.
I've seen every step of her cancer treatment. Her good days, her bad days, and her rock bottom. She told me she wanted to start a food truck after she got better. Start a new life, be free, enjoy what life had to offer, but she never got there. Instead, her life came to an end this past weekend, and it has been the hardest thing I've ever been through.
Now we have to look forward. My family and I will live life to the fullest just as she told me she wanted to. She was always there for me no matter what. She encouraged me to go out, take every opportunity as it comes, and never waste a day. And I will never waste one again.
This whole situation does, come at a cost. Literally. Through our battle with my mother, medical bills have started to pile up. They are way too much for us to be able to take care of it, so now we are asking for your help.
Her cancer treatments, hospital visits, medicine, everything has come out to more than 150,000 dollars. On top of that, her memorial services have become very pricey as well. It's overwhelming. To get the immediate family through the rest of the year, all her medical bills covered, and to make sure her funeral, and cremation are covered is what we’re trying to achieve. Obviously we don’t expect to get all of this covered, but anything would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully, we can gather these funds as soon as possible, to ensure some economic reassurance within our family. All funds will be handled by myself and my father.
With the grace of God, and through the help of friends, acquaintances, even strangers, we can get through this.
I love you, Momma. I know you're always with me.