Ramona was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the end of August. She is undergoing chemo infusions now until after the first of the year. Afterward, she will do radiation five days at a time, then later in the spring, she will undergo surgery and the recovery period is about 2 months. Her much anticipated graduation will now be pushed back from May 2022. She is unable to work with side effects of the chemo, thus our income is cut in half. In addition to dealing with an overwhelming diagnosis and treatment plan, there is the challenge of inadequate insurance funds, and the looming reality that living expenses are increasing, and annual household maintenance are all increasing steeply, while the family savings has been depleted, and income has been halved.

A year that was supposed to be full of new starts... Covid ending, graduation with a degree in Counselor Education, a new job and a chance to build our own corner of the dream evaporated into a terrifying illness, medical costs, delayed studies and graduation, and sliding even closer to struggling to pay for basics.

Times are tough for so many, and we appreciate every donation that comes to us – large, small or somewhere in between – every donation goes toward keeping our heads above water while we fight the dreaded “C”.