My mother, Cheryl Lumbra, Battles Ovarian Cancer

Many of you know me through prior volunteer work, veteran fundraisers, supporting your events/hobbies/local businesses, selling tickets, 50/50 tickets or just helping the community. Others know me simply as your friend. What you do not know is that I may have been in the hospital all day/night with my mother, at a doctor’s office or in another state and came directly to your event/cause to support you. I may have made you smile, shared a joke and a laugh, listened to your problems with empathy and hugged you.

Most would not know that for the last year, my mother, Cheryl Lumbra, has been fighting for her life due to Ovarian Cancer. Per my mother’s request for privacy, few knew of this battle. I have remained strong, hopeful, positive, honoring her request for privacy. My conversations about my mother were vague or kept very light. All the while, our lives and emotions felt like we were in a horrific storm and our boat was being thrown by the crashing waves. We struggled to plug the holes in this boat of ours as the storm raged on against us. We, as a family collectively, are all fighting and supporting.

Today, my friends, I am no longer strong. I am no longer standing tall and am on bended knee. We are at an impasse and I can no longer keep this battle private. I can only control the narrative without broadcasting my mother’s most intimate moments fighting cancer to give her some privacy and dignity. This is the story of Cheryl Lumbra. Mother of three daughters, grandmother, great grandmother, widow and a warrior.

Lat November forever changed my family and life changed drastically for all of us. What was supposed to be a mother/daughter day turned into one of the hardest moments that will forever stay in my mind. As I called my mother to let her know I was picking her up, she had a call and placed me on hold. When she came back on the line she was crying and I kept asking what was wrong, feeling terrified by her anguish. The response, between sobs, was “Kryssi, they are sending an ambulance to come get me and bring me to the hospital. My files have already been sent. Kryssi, I have cancer.” I told her I would drive her instead and she refused the ambulance, because we fight together. Thus, beginning the war of my mother vs ovarian cancer.

Since that call, there have been exhausting treatment options, trial and error chemo, multiple surgeries, many complications/set backs, extensive testing procedures, frequent hospital stays, countless doctor appointments, blood transfusions, endless medications, a plethora of hydration IV’s, MRI, CT scans, PET scans and so forth. The days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, months turned into a year coming. Now, Cheryl Lumbra, is going towards another year as we were told last week , she may face more treatment as her kidney stent is not functioning correctly and with the cancer progressing and she may be bumped up to stage 4.

She faces many challenges and cancer has already taken so much from her. Yet, she continues to smile, she still laughs and she is still fighting. We will continue to fight for her. However, it is at this point, I realized, we needed help from our friends and community. I cannot fight this demon alone. We need you.

Throughout this battle, our mother has been financially devastated. Her emotional support dog was diagnosed with diabetes. The diabetes took her emotional support dog’s sight, requires syringes, insulin injections and special food. The expense is tremendous for someone who is already struggling to stay afloat. The cost of everyday living - gas, food, specialty food due to chemo, doctor visits, surgeries, hospitals, parking, loans, car insurance, car payments, medications, insulin and astronomical medical expenses etc - have left her having to choose which she could go without so that her and her precious emotional support dog can be comfortable. Living a “robbing Peter to pay Paul” just to get by and on occasions, went without her medications to pay for her dog or had them held at the pharmacy until she had money to pick up her medication.

Then, life gave us another curve. Cheryl lives in VT 6 months out of the year. It is her sanctuary, her peace and where she feels closest to her husband that has passed….it was their retreat and salvation from a chaotic world. This is her trailer home and it has become unsafe. I am more than concerned for her safety. There is a water leakage and the floor has become extremely soft. I fear for her safety of stepping and falling if it breaks. She tends to trip due to neuropathy on the bottom of her feet due to chemo. I fear for her blind emotional support dog of being injured, as well. The motor on the awning is broken. She is unable to sit outside for a period of time due to the sun/heat and just enjoy being outdoors. Again, repairs were not an option because the money she had would go towards living, her emotional support dog and what she needs at the time. The list goes on.

There is no other way to say this - Cheryl Lumbra is my mother, my best friend, my only parent, my confidante and she is fighting the impossible fight in every area of her life. I am helpless in this battle. I cannot fight for her, but I damn will fight with her. Will you join us? Here is where you come in. Here is where you can make a difference. One small act of kindness can be her miracle.

Please, join us in this battle. Be one of our warriors in the fight against ovarian cancer. Any donation - to relieve the stress, anxiety and heart break our mother is going through with medical, bills, supoort dog and repairs - will enable her to focus her energy to beat cancer. Help us help our mother with financial relief to focus on her health and her emotional support dog.

Our future is uncertain, but I promise, we will not go down without an epic battle and with you all by our side - we will win!

From the bottom of our hearts and grace in our souls, we humbly ask that you share this link with your friends, family and if at all possible, giving. Bless you all and thank you for supporting.

With much gratitude and hopeful hearts,

Kryssi & Cheryl Lumbra

“I got you, you got me”