Words cannot express the impact Marybeth has had on many people’s lives. When we first met I had left California with my then boyfriend, her son, and moved to Nebraska to live in her house. We had never spoke, never seen each other, and she welcomed me into her home and family with a warm embrace. All of this occurred during another difficult time, when she lost her beloved husband of 30 years, Gary. Even though the times were tragic and her world was shaken, her love and compassion was steadfast. Marybeth (from here on out referred to as Mom) raised two amazing children, but is a mother to many, many more. After the loss of Gary, Mom and our family moved to Alabama to start life and adjust to “the new normal.” After moving here and finding doctors and being sent to specialist after specialist, we learned Mom’s liver was in bad shape and she had stage 4 cirrhosis. On top of this, she has been diabetic for almost two decades along with a myriad of other health problems. Mom was fortunate enough to be part of a drug trial to cure her of Hepatitis C, the cause of her cirrhosis, but the treatment was hard on her body and mind. During the year-long treatment, Mom never lost her ability to love undoubtedly and be the matriarch of her family. “Mammaw” is what her grandkids call her, along with many others she has touched and grown near and dear to. Mom has been my surrogate mother, since I lost my mom almost a decade ago, and has always treated me as if I were her own flesh and blood. Mom has fought a long, hard fight and always been inspirational and an inviting soul to those who are hurting or needed a shoulder to cry on.
Now we fast forward to today, December 6, 2016. Mom has recently become very ill, with large amounts of fluid filling her chest cavity despite being constantly drained. The outlook is not good, and she has been referred to hospice for her final days. Kent and I have both recently started new jobs, mine at Aflac as an I T specialist and his with Regis Corporation as a Salon Manager. Our son, Soren, just turned four months old, and we have our daughters Amelia, almost 7, and Aliyana, 4. With Mom being hospitalized and many days of work missed, the financial struggle we are facing is quite daunting. Time off for me is unpaid, as I am within my 90 day probation period and Kent doesn’t receive any paid time off. We are proud people, just like Mom, but pride must be swallowed in certain instances. We are trying to raise funds for travel arrangements, as we will need to return Mom to Nebraska for her memorial service, along with the desire to get Mom’s closest family plane tickets to come visit while they can. Due to my recent change of positions, we are already facing a very difficult financial situation which has become exacerbated by the sudden turn of events. We will forego Christmas this year to ensure Mom’s final days are able to be enjoyed and cherished by as many family and friends as possible. While it’s hard to do this, we are asking for donations to make this devastating time as stress-free as possible. All donations will be used to cover travel expenses, medical expenses, and final resting expenses as needed. If you have met Marybeth, you know what an amazing and loving person she is. We want to make sure she feels the all the love she gives others, tenfold, and hopefully arrange for family that has to work the opportunity to hold and love on Mom while we have the time to do so.
Thank you for reading my plea for help. I know the Holiday season is upon us, and we would never ask if we weren’t in duress. Any and everything is greatly appreciated, and going to one of the greatest women I have ever been blessed enough to know. Please continue your prayers and positive vibes.

With gratitude and love,
Kent and Phillip Turbyfill