Getting Behind Cathy
Donation protected
Cathy is my beautiful wife, and mother of our four children. In 2013 she was diagnosed with cancer. Here are her words about her cancer.
Cancer is one of those words that immediately cuts through you like a knife. We all know what it is and probably know several people who have some form of cancer. I don’t have a “glamorous” cancer – no, no save the ta-tas pink ribbons for me; I have Stage 4 Colon Cancer. Definitely not glamourous, not a cause to get behind (behind, ha! – scatological humor now abounds in our house) which metastasized to my liver. My original prognosis was 6 months to a year if I did not respond to chemotherapy. I responded well (after several sessions of chemo a CT showed no detectible, measurable mass in my colon, just the liver) and we all rejoiced. I even had interventional radiation to try to destroy some of the cancer in my liver in the hopes of being able to operate and remove the lesions – the only possible cure for my liver. And then, I needed another CT scan. The cancer had reared its destructive self again in my colon and the soft tissue surrounding it. Not only that, it had spread to both of my lungs and to my spine.
And now for even more of a not glamorous note, I am considered disabled and incapable of working. We are a family of six who are trying to live off one salary. We have medical bills, COBRA payments to keep me insured, rent, and utilities, not to mention food, gas for vehicles, incidental public school fees, and other assorted everyday life costs as well as the occasional emergency (new tires for the car, etc) – you get the idea because life happens for you, too.
My life is happening faster than we would hope for and, like many others, there are things I would like to do (see a Broadway play, take an Alaskan cruise – or any cruise), places I would like to go (Ireland for one, but some in the US), and people I would like to see (finish the genealogy and see if we really are related to that president I keep hearing about). I want to be able to make memories with my children so they can someday tell their children about the grandmother they may never meet this side of heaven.
Cancer is made worse by stress. Please consider helping us meet our financial needs so that there is less stress on me as I fight to live for as long as I can.
If you want to know more about my fight, please visit my CaringBridge page: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cathylinebrink
Cancer is one of those words that immediately cuts through you like a knife. We all know what it is and probably know several people who have some form of cancer. I don’t have a “glamorous” cancer – no, no save the ta-tas pink ribbons for me; I have Stage 4 Colon Cancer. Definitely not glamourous, not a cause to get behind (behind, ha! – scatological humor now abounds in our house) which metastasized to my liver. My original prognosis was 6 months to a year if I did not respond to chemotherapy. I responded well (after several sessions of chemo a CT showed no detectible, measurable mass in my colon, just the liver) and we all rejoiced. I even had interventional radiation to try to destroy some of the cancer in my liver in the hopes of being able to operate and remove the lesions – the only possible cure for my liver. And then, I needed another CT scan. The cancer had reared its destructive self again in my colon and the soft tissue surrounding it. Not only that, it had spread to both of my lungs and to my spine.
And now for even more of a not glamorous note, I am considered disabled and incapable of working. We are a family of six who are trying to live off one salary. We have medical bills, COBRA payments to keep me insured, rent, and utilities, not to mention food, gas for vehicles, incidental public school fees, and other assorted everyday life costs as well as the occasional emergency (new tires for the car, etc) – you get the idea because life happens for you, too.
My life is happening faster than we would hope for and, like many others, there are things I would like to do (see a Broadway play, take an Alaskan cruise – or any cruise), places I would like to go (Ireland for one, but some in the US), and people I would like to see (finish the genealogy and see if we really are related to that president I keep hearing about). I want to be able to make memories with my children so they can someday tell their children about the grandmother they may never meet this side of heaven.
Cancer is made worse by stress. Please consider helping us meet our financial needs so that there is less stress on me as I fight to live for as long as I can.
If you want to know more about my fight, please visit my CaringBridge page: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cathylinebrink
Organizer
Lawrence A Linebrink Jr
Organizer
Scottsville, VA
