Help Dessert Sue's Ovarian Cancer!

Susan Wheatcraft is my mom, my children's grandmother, a wife of over 40 years, and my best friend. With a ceaseless good spirit, and a drive like none I have ever seen, she raised 4 (pretty awesome if I say so myself) kids, and endured a seemingly endless variety of hardships.

She began working part time nearly 20 years ago, to help ends meet. Her job was rigorous and exhausting, but she managed to juggle it combined with raising three kids at home and caring for her own mother, who had dementia. Her work demanded a lot with little in return, and was often expected to finish work at home with no pay (as an hourly employee). 

She was our chauffeur, cook, maid, home-room mom, coach, biggest fan, field trip guide, nurse, teacher, left things to the last minute and needed her help-helper, among countless other things. 

My parents never spent much. They saved and saved, and saved and saved. My dad worked tirelessly at his job for nearly 32 years, and was counting on a comfortable retirement when he turned 60. Instead, just a couple of years before his retirement, his work replaced him and many other men his age, with a cheap factory in Mexico, where he had to go and train his replacements. Their dreams of retirement fizzled, and he was left to find a new career in his late 50s, bereft of insurance or any leads on work.

Luckily, he found a job that paid about half of what he was able to make before. That job was a Godsend after months of looking and had insurance, so he took it and has worked there ever since. Most of the men at his job are in their 30s and 40s. He turned 60 last year, and is somehow keeping up with the grueling demands of a physical labor job. Meanwhile, my mom was working extra hours at her part-time job, whilst having to fight to get paid for the hours she did work, also almost 60 years old. 

During this time, my mom had to have two different surgeries to remove cancer on her nose, and also had a breast cancer scare. It was pure luck, that the doctors were scanning her body for a different ailment, when they found a mini Nerf football-sized mass in her abdomen.

We all hoped it was just a cyst, or a non-cancerous mass.  Yet, just a few days before Christmas last year, we were all informed by my dad that they had found stage 3 ovarian cancer.

My mom was told she would need 5 months of chemotherapy after she recovered from her hysterectomy. She was weak after her surgery, and was unable to return to work. On top of that, my dad had to take weeks off of work during and after her surgery to help care for her. He now still takes many unpaid days off to be there for her more intense chemotherapy sessions, and the medical bills, time off work, and other associated living expenses are building up.

My parents were the epitome of the American Dream. They worked hard. They never took any help. They never asked for anything. They never accrued debt. They were never late on a bill. They did it all alone, and achieved the seemingly impossible. Yet in the end, they didn't get their due reward. My dad lost his job just before his retirement, and my mom was dealt a costly medical hand with her cancer diagnosis. They would never ask for help. But I will.

My parents need help, and goodness gracious do they deserve it. They may not ask themselves, but seeing them struggle financially is completely heartbreaking, and I had to reach out. 

If you know them, you know how deserving they are of our compassion and help. If you don't know them, know that if they were reading this about any other couple, even now, with nothing, they would donate anything they could. That's the kind of people they are. 

My mom will kick this cancer, but could really use your assistance. Best of all, I get to share with you some of my mom's favorite dessert that I make! So come on, and help kick my mom's cancer in the cake balls!

$10.00 Donation - A baggie of my delicious chocolate covered pretzels.

$20.00 Donation - A baggie of my delicious chocolate covered pretzels and a small assortment of my famous Cake Balls!

$50.00 Donation - A baggie of my delicious chocolate covered pretzels, a larger assortment of Cake Balls, and Milk and Dark Chocolate Truffles.

$100.00 Donation - A baggie of my delicious chocolate covered pretzels, a very large assortment of Cake Balls, Milk and Dark Chocolate Truffles and a Chunk of my delicious Fudge!

$250.00 Donation - A large baggie of my delicious chocolate covered pretzels, A huge assortment of Cake Balls (Like enough to have at a small party), Many Milk and Dark Chocolate Truffles, and two pounds of delicious Fudge.

$500.00 Donation - A three month's supply of chocolate covered pretzels, Cake Balls, Truffles and Fudge (arriving once every month for three months). You can also decide after the first batch of Cake Balls, which flavors you prefer, and I will accomodate the packages to your specific tastes!

$750.00 Donation - A six month's supply of chocolate covered pretzels, Cake Balls, Truffles and Fudge (arriving once every month for six months). You can also decide after the first batch of Cake Balls, which flavors you prefer, and I will accomodate the packages to your specific tastes!

$1,000.00 Donation - A year's supply of chocolate covered pretzels, Cake Balls, Truffles and Fudge (arriving once every month for twelve months). You can also decide after the first batch of Cake Balls, which flavors you prefer, and I will accomodate the packages to your specific tastes! 

Thank you so much for your help! The Wheatcraft family could not appreciate you more!