Gwynne and Dan's Story
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4 children lost their mother, 1 husband & Philadelphia Police Officer lost his wife. Please consider donating.
Gwynne and Dan’s Story
16 Years ago, a young Philadelphia Police Officer met a beautiful girl who worked at the Little Gym, where she combined her two favorite things in life,children and gymnastics. After 6 years of dating, Dan and Gwynne married on September 12, 2008.
What followed next was what so many couples hope for…the start of a beautiful, loving, happy and healthy family. (kids - left to right; Wesley, 8, Lucy, 6 Molly, 4 and Zoey, 2)
All children are a blessing, but had it not been for their pregnancy with their youngest, Zoey, Gwynne and Dan would not have known that Gwynne was actually very sick. Gwynne was diagnosed with cancer. Gwynne had no family history of cancer. She had no prior symptoms of illness. Thus, we were all shocked to hear of her diagnosis. Gwynne fought-hard. She fought for her children, she fought for her husband, she fought for her life. Tragically, on May 29, 2018, at 36 years old, Gwynne lost her battle to cancer. As I type that last sentence, the family is still in complete disbelief. Her strength, determination and courage throughout all treatments left us all with the full belief that she would beat this. Our belief was a testament to Gwynne’s determination and attitude.
There is no playbook for this…
Dan, 38, is a lifelong Philadelphia resident who has worked serving his community as a Philadelphia Police Officer for nearly 20 years. As most of you know, the men and women of the police department do not go into that line of work to become wealthy – they do it because they believe in making a difference in the community they serve. With the passing of his wife, Gwynne, Dan is going to be dealing with a high stress job along with the emotional, financial and day to day challenges of being a single Dad. Gwynne was a stay at home Mom, who put her children and family above all else. She focused on raising their 4 children and watched other children to help meet the needs of their family.
In addition to grieving and dealing with the loss of his wife, Dan will be adjusting to raising his son and three daughters alone. Given the nature of his work (it isn’t a 9AM – 5PM, and the shifts change routinely) he is going to have to find great, flexible help. Someone that can be there during those difficult hours to do a lot more than watch the kids sleep (ready for school, travel to games and activities, homework, etc.). This is all in addition to expenses for memorial services, day-to-day living and countless other needs of a family that emerge in the midst of an untimely passing of a parent.
How you can help? Please donate.
While his daily routine as an officer and as a father is focused on helping others, Dan is the type of guy that would not ask for help for himself (which is why his family is putting this together for him and the kids). The following areas are where their needs are most critical and time sensitive:
Memorial Services: The average cost of services today are $8,000.
Counseling Services: Even with great health benefits as a police officer, copays add up. If the children speak to a counselor once a week for only 1 year at $25/visit, that comes to $5,200 in copays alone for the 4 of them.
Childcare: 4 children, ages 2-8, with a variable schedule. This could cost on average $2,000 per month or $24,000 per year. Zoey (their 2-year-old) won’t be in kindergarten for 3 years and even then, the children will need aftercare or care in the evening when his shift is later.
Vehicle Expense: With two parents and four kids, they have 2 SUV’s. Danny will have to sell one and since cars do not appreciate, he will likely have to sell it for less than what is owed on it.
Initial Goal
Child Care (6 mo’s) - $12,000
Memorial Services - $8,000
Counseling Services (1 yr) - $5,000
Vehicle Loss - $5,000
Total Goal - $30,000
Thank you for considering Dan and the kids.
We know you are working on raising your own families, planning for your future and supporting the many great causes that are so important to you and your family, so we thank you for considering any support you can give here.
Gwynne is someone who always put her kids and family first and as we reflect on her life, we know it would bring a smile to her face knowing that with your support her kids and her husband will have the support and resources to start navigating the next phases of their lives without her. Our goal of $30,000 is simply enough to get them started and remove some stress-it is certainly not enough for the long-term.
Thank you for any amount you can donate and lastly, if you could pass this on to your friends and relatives for additional support, Dan, Wesley, Lucy, Molly and Zoey would be forever grateful.
Thank you so very much.
Gwynne and Dan’s Story
16 Years ago, a young Philadelphia Police Officer met a beautiful girl who worked at the Little Gym, where she combined her two favorite things in life,children and gymnastics. After 6 years of dating, Dan and Gwynne married on September 12, 2008.
What followed next was what so many couples hope for…the start of a beautiful, loving, happy and healthy family. (kids - left to right; Wesley, 8, Lucy, 6 Molly, 4 and Zoey, 2)
All children are a blessing, but had it not been for their pregnancy with their youngest, Zoey, Gwynne and Dan would not have known that Gwynne was actually very sick. Gwynne was diagnosed with cancer. Gwynne had no family history of cancer. She had no prior symptoms of illness. Thus, we were all shocked to hear of her diagnosis. Gwynne fought-hard. She fought for her children, she fought for her husband, she fought for her life. Tragically, on May 29, 2018, at 36 years old, Gwynne lost her battle to cancer. As I type that last sentence, the family is still in complete disbelief. Her strength, determination and courage throughout all treatments left us all with the full belief that she would beat this. Our belief was a testament to Gwynne’s determination and attitude.
There is no playbook for this…
Dan, 38, is a lifelong Philadelphia resident who has worked serving his community as a Philadelphia Police Officer for nearly 20 years. As most of you know, the men and women of the police department do not go into that line of work to become wealthy – they do it because they believe in making a difference in the community they serve. With the passing of his wife, Gwynne, Dan is going to be dealing with a high stress job along with the emotional, financial and day to day challenges of being a single Dad. Gwynne was a stay at home Mom, who put her children and family above all else. She focused on raising their 4 children and watched other children to help meet the needs of their family.
In addition to grieving and dealing with the loss of his wife, Dan will be adjusting to raising his son and three daughters alone. Given the nature of his work (it isn’t a 9AM – 5PM, and the shifts change routinely) he is going to have to find great, flexible help. Someone that can be there during those difficult hours to do a lot more than watch the kids sleep (ready for school, travel to games and activities, homework, etc.). This is all in addition to expenses for memorial services, day-to-day living and countless other needs of a family that emerge in the midst of an untimely passing of a parent.
How you can help? Please donate.
While his daily routine as an officer and as a father is focused on helping others, Dan is the type of guy that would not ask for help for himself (which is why his family is putting this together for him and the kids). The following areas are where their needs are most critical and time sensitive:
Memorial Services: The average cost of services today are $8,000.
Counseling Services: Even with great health benefits as a police officer, copays add up. If the children speak to a counselor once a week for only 1 year at $25/visit, that comes to $5,200 in copays alone for the 4 of them.
Childcare: 4 children, ages 2-8, with a variable schedule. This could cost on average $2,000 per month or $24,000 per year. Zoey (their 2-year-old) won’t be in kindergarten for 3 years and even then, the children will need aftercare or care in the evening when his shift is later.
Vehicle Expense: With two parents and four kids, they have 2 SUV’s. Danny will have to sell one and since cars do not appreciate, he will likely have to sell it for less than what is owed on it.
Initial Goal
Child Care (6 mo’s) - $12,000
Memorial Services - $8,000
Counseling Services (1 yr) - $5,000
Vehicle Loss - $5,000
Total Goal - $30,000
Thank you for considering Dan and the kids.
We know you are working on raising your own families, planning for your future and supporting the many great causes that are so important to you and your family, so we thank you for considering any support you can give here.
Gwynne is someone who always put her kids and family first and as we reflect on her life, we know it would bring a smile to her face knowing that with your support her kids and her husband will have the support and resources to start navigating the next phases of their lives without her. Our goal of $30,000 is simply enough to get them started and remove some stress-it is certainly not enough for the long-term.
Thank you for any amount you can donate and lastly, if you could pass this on to your friends and relatives for additional support, Dan, Wesley, Lucy, Molly and Zoey would be forever grateful.
Thank you so very much.
Organizer
Derek Corson
Organizer
West Chester, PA