Denice's UK Experience
My mother, Denice Schmitt, was diagnosed with Stage IV Colon/Rectal cancer in October 2010. One of her life-long dreams has been to travel overseas and I would like to make this a reality for her.
Back in October 2010 when she was diagnosed, she had a Stage IV tumor and underwent intensive radiation and chemo to shrink it followed by surgery to remove it. After a six month cancer free period, it was discovered that the cancer had metastasized and created yet another tumor affecting her kidney function and multiple tumors in her lungs. The cancer is now in her blood stream.
She has and continues to go through more chemo, but there is no more treatment or cure for her condition. All we can hope is everything stays stable the way it currently is for as long as possible. Patients with advanced stage cancer like my mom's do not have long to live and we have been told that this past Thanksgiving and Christmas might have been her last.
Given this information, I began talking with my mom. She has always wanted to travel overseas, eat fish and chips in London, visit Wales where her ancestors come from, and see the Scottish highlands. She has never been able to because of financial constraints, but this is something I would love to be able to do for her.
My mom is the strongest and most generous woman I know. She has given to others her entire life and even though she is bound and determined to live much longer than her diagnosis, she deserves this experience. It would be my way of giving back to her just a little bit of what she has given me over the years.
Our trip is tentatively scheduled, barring funding, for the last two weeks in April 2013. We would travel to London, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Our goal is about $6000 for airfare, housing, food, travel from country to country, and sightseeing. Any funds we may raise above and beyond what is used for the trip will go to her rising medical expenses. If we end up not being able to raise enough for the trip, all donations will still go towards medical expenses.
Please consider donating whatever you can. Just as every word, every moment, and every memory with my mom means the world to me, so does every generous amount donated to our cause.
If you cannot donate, please feel free to pass this page's link on to any of your family and friends who may be interested, but most of all please keep my mom, Denice Schmitt, and my family in your prayers and thoughts.
Thank you so very much for reading!
