Linda's Quality of Life
Donation protected
Medical / Financial History
My wife, Linda was diagnosed with incurable Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor cancer in April of 2010 and had an above the knee amputation of her left leg in May 2010. At that time, we were self employed and had no health insurance due to the impact of the economic collapse of 2008. We are grateful for the financial assistance we received early on from the UW Hosptial and Clinics Foundation, where Linda has been a patient for nearly seven years. We did not have health insurance until March of 2011 when I became eligible as an employee of another company. Even with insurance and disability Medicare the uncovered expenses of living with incurable cancer are significant. If our plans hold, we should eliminate our debt from the 2008 to 2011 time period by 2020.
Linda's Journey
For the nearly seven years after being diagnosed, Linda has remained active and involved in our community even though she has had multiple surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments. The summer of 2016, the cancer started to gain headway. It was progressing to the thoracic cavity as expected and was mostly untreatable with surgery or other therapies. A surgery was done in September to remove a section of Linda's colon that had been attacked from the outside. They could not reconnect the segmented colon due to the presense of additional inoperable cancer tissue. Since fall of 2016, the medical focus for Linda has been on pain management and quality of life.
Our History
Linda and I formerly ran a horse boarding stable and lodging facility until her cancer altered our lives. We moved with some of our horses at the end of 2010 to a property of about 10 acres with a beautiful creek and ravine running through it. A plus is that our wonderful neighbors give us access their adjacent 120 acres. We still have a hobby business providing horse drawn vehicle service to offset the cost of keeping the horses. Linda still continued to ride in the subsequent years after her amputation but is now too weak for horseback riding.
Where We Are Now
Since Linda cannot ride on horseback any more, I have no easy way to get her out into our beautiful environment. When we moved here almost seven years ago, Linda said "This is where I am supposed to be", and named the property WellSpring Farm. The photo is of Linda on her Mustang Ranger in our round pen. She was able to sit on horseback after I assisted her up and then walked a bit in the controlled environment. Although we have recieved some foundation organization and government assistance over the years, Linda and I have always found it very difficult to ask for help. I have decided that now is the time to push the difficulty aside and do something for the benefit of Linda.
How You Can Help
This GoFundMe campaign is to purchase a used side by side 4x4 utility vehicle so I can get Linda out and about in the beautiful environment around our property, as a way of improving her quality of life for the time she has left. She is and always has been such a lover of our natural environment, it breaks my heart to see her confined to a wheelchair or bed when she is still strong enough to get outside, but cannot get around well on her own. The most difficult thing for Linda since losing her leg seven years ago has been the loss of self sufficiency. I cannot imagine what is like for her now dealing with the increased disability of her disease progression. Other than riding a horse on her own again, I believe my plan will bring her the most joy possible.
Thank you.
My wife, Linda was diagnosed with incurable Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor cancer in April of 2010 and had an above the knee amputation of her left leg in May 2010. At that time, we were self employed and had no health insurance due to the impact of the economic collapse of 2008. We are grateful for the financial assistance we received early on from the UW Hosptial and Clinics Foundation, where Linda has been a patient for nearly seven years. We did not have health insurance until March of 2011 when I became eligible as an employee of another company. Even with insurance and disability Medicare the uncovered expenses of living with incurable cancer are significant. If our plans hold, we should eliminate our debt from the 2008 to 2011 time period by 2020.
Linda's Journey
For the nearly seven years after being diagnosed, Linda has remained active and involved in our community even though she has had multiple surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments. The summer of 2016, the cancer started to gain headway. It was progressing to the thoracic cavity as expected and was mostly untreatable with surgery or other therapies. A surgery was done in September to remove a section of Linda's colon that had been attacked from the outside. They could not reconnect the segmented colon due to the presense of additional inoperable cancer tissue. Since fall of 2016, the medical focus for Linda has been on pain management and quality of life.
Our History
Linda and I formerly ran a horse boarding stable and lodging facility until her cancer altered our lives. We moved with some of our horses at the end of 2010 to a property of about 10 acres with a beautiful creek and ravine running through it. A plus is that our wonderful neighbors give us access their adjacent 120 acres. We still have a hobby business providing horse drawn vehicle service to offset the cost of keeping the horses. Linda still continued to ride in the subsequent years after her amputation but is now too weak for horseback riding.
Where We Are Now
Since Linda cannot ride on horseback any more, I have no easy way to get her out into our beautiful environment. When we moved here almost seven years ago, Linda said "This is where I am supposed to be", and named the property WellSpring Farm. The photo is of Linda on her Mustang Ranger in our round pen. She was able to sit on horseback after I assisted her up and then walked a bit in the controlled environment. Although we have recieved some foundation organization and government assistance over the years, Linda and I have always found it very difficult to ask for help. I have decided that now is the time to push the difficulty aside and do something for the benefit of Linda.
How You Can Help
This GoFundMe campaign is to purchase a used side by side 4x4 utility vehicle so I can get Linda out and about in the beautiful environment around our property, as a way of improving her quality of life for the time she has left. She is and always has been such a lover of our natural environment, it breaks my heart to see her confined to a wheelchair or bed when she is still strong enough to get outside, but cannot get around well on her own. The most difficult thing for Linda since losing her leg seven years ago has been the loss of self sufficiency. I cannot imagine what is like for her now dealing with the increased disability of her disease progression. Other than riding a horse on her own again, I believe my plan will bring her the most joy possible.
Thank you.
Organizer
Jim Goyette
Organizer
Ripon, WI