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Missy vs. Breast Cancer

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I am sending this to each of you because we all share something in common: we all have kids the same age, we are all struggling to do right by our children and make their lives better than ours.  We all have had our ups and downs, diagnosis and travesties.  When I think back to second and fourth grade, my parents were healthy. My Mom was pregnant with my brother when I was in 4th grade in 1984, and my Dad was a Chicago cop.  My grandparents were alive and healthy and in my mind my parents were indestructible.

So, when you Father fights in a war and comes back hurt, with issues that will never physically go away, you still have your Mother.  Years later your Mother is tired, and having issues that she can’t explain.  She finally goes to the Doctor and was told what every woman fears: You have stage II Triple negative breast cancer.  Your Mother has to be strong for your Dad and herself but the fight against breast cancer can take every ounce of energy you have, just to get out of bed.  

Missy’s case is even harder because she is also James’s caregiver.  Missy has very supportive parents that are helping with the kids but everyone in her family is middle class, ends are met, food is on the table but there is not a lot extra to help them pay their mortgage, groceries and dog food for James’s service dog.  Here is the story of how Missy and James have gotten to the point, where the government is not able to help them because of how the system is set up for Veterans.

Marissa “Missy” Comoda has stage II Triple negative breast cancer and will need a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Her husband James was in the Afghan campaign and was hurt in The Republic of Korea (The ROK).  They were living on the GI bill since James is disabled and gave it to her, because she is his guardian. She has 2 quarters of her undergrad in culinary management to complete but had to stop because of her diagnosis.

She doesn’t qualify for disability since she didn’t work while he was deployed or on active duty because she had their two children, so she doesn’t have enough work history.

James has a service dog because he was hurt while in The Republic of Korea (The ROK), and he also suffers from PTSD.  Money is a huge problem and they are almost at the end of what they have.  The school is being helpful, her parents are helping with their children but their finances are running very low.

Missy and James need our help.  James helped all of us by putting his life on the line by serving and protecting us, while he served in the Afghan campaign and in The Republic of Korea.  Missy was a soldiers wife and moved around with him and during that time, and she had their two children.  They both never thought that the Afghan campaign and The ROK would change James for the rest of his life and they both never thought making Missy his guardian would turn around and hurt them down the road.

I ask you to give anything that you can, because our community is small but solid.  I would hope that a fellow friend would do this for me, if my life ever turned upside down because of cancer.  I thank you for your time and I hope you can help the Comoda’s in any way that you can. 

Any money that they receive will help with their mortgage, car payment, groceries and vet bills for James's service dog.

Thank you :)
Dionna H Plywacz
Mother of Markus Plywacz 2nd grade Lincoln, and Lillian Plywacz 6th grade Roosevelt
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Donations 

  • Marietta Bowman
    • $25 
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Dionna Hunger Plywacz
Organizer
River Forest, IL
Marissa Comoda
Beneficiary

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