Help Marie Fight Cancer
Marie Call has taught 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades for the past 31 years all in the Shelley School District. She has been an amazing, positive, kind, and devoted teacher who has impacted thousands of children and has touched their lives forever. Teaching has been her first love, and she has devoted everything to it.
She was diagnosed with Stage 3 Multiple Myeloma, a form of bone marrow cancer that is not curable but treatable. She was diagnosed in January of this year and began treatments immediately. Marie has had to spend many days in the hospital fighting this extremely painful cancer. Blood transfusions, chemotherapy, radiation, steroids, and treating numerous vertebrae fractures have all been treatments she has endured since February. As a result of the cancer, Marie developed severe blood clots. Because of the blood clots, they have impacted the start date for her next step in her recovery (stem cell transplant). In addition, she is fighting severe neuropathy which is painful and affecting her ability to walk and do daily tasks. There has not been a day that has gone by that she hasn’t missed teaching and her students.
Marie is a candidate for a stem cell transplant which hopefully will occur this fall in Salt Lake City. This transplant is essential in giving her quality of life back and for her to resume her love of teaching. The transplant process takes approximately 6-10 weeks and is extremely costly and painful. During the transplant Marie will need a caregiver with her and will need to remain in Utah until she is strong enough to return home, thus accruing a large cost for housing. After the transplant, Marie’s immune system will be completely depleted, and she will need to be isolated for at least 100 or more days. She will also be very weak and require a great deal of physical therapy.
Due to these immense medical interventions and in the best interest of her students, it is necessary for Marie to take a year's leave of absence from her teaching position. She will be on long term disability which will only cover a part of her salary. She will also need to pay for the entire cost of her insurance throughout the year in addition to medical costs not covered by her insurance. This will put an immense strain on her financially. With Marie’s permission, the Shelley Education Association is forming this go fund me to help defray the medical and living expenses that will be incurred during her year of treatment. In addition to the go fund me we are including the options of a Venmo account along with a Westmark Bank account for direct deposit. Any amount will help, please pray and help if you can. Thank You!!
