To be honest, I can't believe I'm writing this, but today August 17th, 2022 the strongest woman I know, my mother, was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung carcinoma "lung cancer." A treatable but uncurable disease.

Most of you who are reading this probably know her as "Kath" or "Kathy," and I'm sure many of you have met her through her work. My mom has worked in the service industry for the last 30+ years, first at the 99 Restaurant in Salem NH, and later at popular breakfast spots such as Sammy J's, Casey's Diner, and most recently The Early Bird Cafe.

I know my mom is one of the best waitresses/bartenders you would ever encounter. I've heard countless stories about her from her regulars over the years. Many of you never knew how much she sacrificed for us kids over the years, and how she always gave you her best even on her worst days. My mom's sole purpose in life it seems, has been taking care of others, whether it be raising us 5 kids, helping raise her 3 loving grandchildren or serving the thousands of people that have visited the various restaurants she worked at over the years. She learned all of your names, genuinely cared when you told her your stories, always remembered your orders, and your favourite drinks. I also know she loved to tell you stories about us, her kids.

My mom has never been one to ask for help, but I'm here asking for her. She was hospitalized on Friday, August 12th thinking that she simply had pnuemonia. Sadly that wasn't the case. Her first concern after finding out it was cancer was when she would be able to get back to work, to her normal life, to all of you, and to do everything she can to take care of her family and grandkids. My mom is a fighter, she doesn't want to leave us all she wants to stay as long as she can. However when she was hospitalized, she did not have insurance, and the bills are going to pile up quickly. While we have now signed her up for insurance (it doesn't kick in until september 1st) and she will be held responsible for everything up to that point. We do not believe that she will ever be able to return to work full time at this point. She is hoping to return to work part time if her treatment progresses, as we hope.

My goal is to alleviate as much of the financial burden from her as possible so that she can focus on the things that matter, like her treatment and the little girls that know her as Mémère (French for grandmother). Hearing My niece Finn call her that is one of the cutest things ever to grace your ears. They love her to pieces. My niece Ava couldn't stop asking when my mom would be coming to her house to play while she was in the hospital. I pray there will be many more years with her here; those girls deserve more time with her.

We're asking for anything that anyone can spare to help us cover both her medical expenses and day-to-day living expenses as she will not be able to do the job that she loved until her condition allows. Anything that anyone can spare at all would be greatly appreciated by my mom and all of us her family.