Faye’s Fight

This GoFundMe is for my mother-in-law, Faye Wilkinson, and is written on behalf of the Wilkinson Family.

On August 9th, 2022, our lives forever changed when, during a routine call to wish their father (Ken) a happy birthday, my wife Hailey and her sister Kelsey learned that their mom was not doing well. Within 48 hours Faye was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

Faye is an amazing woman who I’ve known for over 14 years – since I started dating her daughter at the start of my senior year at Chester High School in the fall of 2008. Many reading this have known her for far longer, especially if you had kids that grew up with Hailey, Kelsey, Quinton, Zachary, or Alexis (or are one of those kids). If there was a Hall of Fame for parent volunteers up there, which there really should be, Faye would be a first ballot hall of famer for the countless (thousands of) hours she’s spent on school functions over the years. The Elementary School Carnival and High School dance setup/takedowns come to mind. For anyone who has had the pleasure of volunteering for those events will know, it takes a Saint to choose to help with those events (let alone multiple times). As someone who was voluntold to help, I can attest that it was long hours and not super fun – but she did it with a smile on her face to support her kids and the community.

The Wilkinson’s have been a staple in the Lake Almanor community for many years. In the event you don’t personally know Faye, you’ve probably seen her hosting a booth at the local Farmer’s Market during the summer or have run into her husband Ken – who is known to the Lake Almanor contractors as the “paint matching guru” during his time spent at both Corlin Paint (for those who remember) and now at Ayoob’s / Intermountain Hardware. Faye’s son Quinton has both worked at the hardware store for several years and is wrapping up his first summer as the head bartender at Plumas Pines, another community pillar. They’re the type of people where giving back to the community is just who they are.

When it comes to Faye, it’s impossible to capture who she is in words – because words come up short. She is a gifted artist and interior designer. She loves a good jigsaw puzzle on the right occasion – especially if it’s to kill a lazy afternoon around Thanksgiving or Christmas. She makes a mean breakfast sandwich that hits the spot after a long night working on tearing out an old cabin (she’s never been one to turn down a good project). BUT, if there is one defining quality to Faye, it’s her dedication to her family – her husband, Ken, and her children. She is Ken’s wife. Their mother. Their rock. She’s the person my wife calls for a second opinion on anything in life – whether it be planning a wedding, deciding on a color to paint a shelf, or a natural remedy to soothe an upset baby. She’s “Mia” to our son Keaton. And those are the most important things.

To date, Faye has completed three rounds of chemotherapy. It’s easy to speak for someone else when they take on the fight of their life with a smile on their face and unwavering optimism – but that’s just who she is. Faye makes really hard things look like they’re not.

The proceeds of the GoFundMe are strictly to assist my in-laws with covering expenses related to out-of-pocket medical bills and travel related costs, as there will be MANY trips to/from Enloe Hospital in Chico, CA.

Thank you,

Brandon Durkin