We are reaching out with a heartfelt request to support our friend Marilyn, her husband Tim and their two boys Josh (15) and Jake (11), as they navigate an almost unimaginable medical crisis that has upended their lives.

Tim & Marilyn have been married for almost 19 years. Marilyn was a teacher at the middle school as a reading specialist and Tim was a special education teacher at the elementary school.

In the summer of 2023 it was discovered that Marilyn had a tumor in her pancreas. Two days after this diagnosis Marilyn was in a car accident that caused injuries to her back that required multiple surgeries and physical therapy.

The oncologists kept an eye on the tumor and about a year later it went from benign to malignant.

Marilyn was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on November 21st, 2024. On November 25th 2024 her husband Tim had a brain aneurysm and hasn’t been home since. He has been in and out of one hospital after another, has had three brain surgeries, followed by stays in several different skilled nursing home facilities.

During this time Marilyn was in need of a 4th back surgery but that had to be put on hold until the cancer was resolved. Both Marilyn’s mother and grandmother died from pancreatic cancer, so this was a scary diagnosis.

Marilyn’s back injuries and surgeries have left her in almost constant pain, although you wouldn’t know it as she rarely complains.

With all of this going on Marilyn has been forced into an early retirement from her teaching job. Tim also will be forced to retire as a teacher since he will likely never walk again or regain the use of the left side of his body.

This has left Tim devastated and severely depressed.

On top of all of this, in mid January of this year they had a massive flood in the basement as well as the laundry room. Followed by three more smaller floods. This has left the home in a bit of a mess as you can imagine. Not to mention how overwhelming this has been for Marilyn-trying to keep things together at home, manage her own health crisis, care for Tim and try to keep some sense of a normal life for the boys.

Despite the poor prognosis for Tim, Marilyn remains hopeful and positive. She leans on her strong faith in God and the prayers of her friends and family.

This family has been hit with one blow after another and could really use your support.

Jenna and I have asked Marilyn what the family needs the most at this time and how her friends and family can help. Marilyn thinks that the greatest need is a handicap accessible vehicle to help “bust Tim out of the nursing home facilities”. Marilyn’s hope is that it will make a world of difference to Tim to be able to get out for home visits and possibly attend some of Josh & Jake’s activities and just get back some sense of “normal”.

If you have any leads on a vehicle that would fit the bill, or would like to donate towards this goal of getting a transport van for Tim it would be much appreciated!

This family has been through so much and could really use our help!