Renee's Final Wish

When my son started T-Ball 8 years ago, I met Renee. She was on her lunch break from work, dropping off snacks to the team and staying to watch her boys play until her break was over. She is one of the hardest working, most dedicated and resilient people I know. Everything she does is for her boys! I asked her to share her story.

My name is Doreen "Renee" Farron and I am a 38 year old mother of 3 boys-ages 12, 14 and 21.

Pre-pandemic, I was living a normal life. I was working full time at the U of R, being an employee there for over 10 years. I was working an insane amount of overtime, as I was trying to purchase a house for my family. I had recently downsized to a small apartment in order to save money because I so badly wanted to make this happen. Then the Pandemic hit! I decided, with all the stipulations placed on the home buying process due to Covid, that I would put things on hold until the summer. Then I could save more money and try again.

Fast forward to June 2020, I was diagnosed with Stage 2b Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, a very common and treatable form and cancer. Despite fearing the surgeries and treatment planned, I remained hopeful towards the future and completed my first round of treatments in December. I rang the chemo bell and was supposed to be cancer free. I had a lumpectomy in February and was due to end that in June of 2021. Just as I reached my finish line, I started having severe neck pain and found out I had another tumor sitting at the very top of my spine. I then underwent 30 radiation treatments in hopes of destroying the tumor. The treatment was successful and all imaging showed signs of it drastically shrinking. I believed things were going well so I returned to work early on October 4th of this year. Oddly enough, I instantly started to have excruciating back pain. I reached out to my providers and they suggested going to Urgent Care. I went there and was be told that I was having severe muscle spasms.

Another week had passed and the medications were doing nothing. Finally on October 14th, I went to the Emergency Department and had a series of imaging done. That is when I was admitted to the Cancer Center and on October 15th, I heard the words, "You are terminally ill." I have been diagnosed with Leptomeningeal Disease, a rare form of cancer for which there is no cure.

My fate is questionable but, through it all, I remain hopeful and optimistic. My last wish in this life is to put a down payment on a home for my children, as my younger two boys will live in the house with my oldest son. This is going to be a hard enough transition for them as it is and I just want to make it as easy as possible. Unfortunately, due to all the time I have been out of work, I have gone through most of my savings and I am just trying to stay afloat. I am seeking the help of family, friends and the community during this difficult time.

This is Renee's final wish, to help provide for her boys, while she can. Please, please help her make this wish come true. Anything helps and is appreciated. God bless each and every single one of you.