Our Mom - She's Everyone's Mom
Donation protected
Our Mom, Connie Peebles, was diagnosed with a tumor in 2016. We named him "Lonnie". She had a craniotomy within a week after it was found. Though most meningiomas are benign, hers was malignant, grade 3. She required Radiation which meant she had to be off work, without pay. From that treatment, she developed lymphedema and we faced major financial struggles due to medical bills. We were told that the radiation would take care of the tumor and the likelihood of it coming back was around 25%. She worked so hard to recover from the lymphedema, to regain her strength from the radiation and return to teaching. Over the summer of 2017, she had a goal she was going to get rid of her walker and be able to go back to what she loved, teaching Theology at Central Catholic High School. August 2017 she did just that, only it was part-time. She was still very weak but she made it to school when she was not in Cleveland for followups. Every student there helped her and prayed with her so she could get through the day, and she grew stronger and stronger.
Then one year later, almost to the day, we discovered she now has two new tumors, "The Tumor Twins" located around that same area. So she is sent to Cleveland Clinic for a second opinion. Within the month the specialists are performing a Gamma Knife, her first. She went back to school the very next day. This procedure may only take 20 minutes, but she sat in this iron mask for seven hours before her treatment was done. Our Dad to distract her from the pain of the mask started playing games with her, which worked. The nurses said they could hear her laughing down at their station. Her next visit would be in March 2017 to see how stable these two were. All the while she wanted to make sure her family at home and at school were taken care of, she gave everything she had.
In March 2017 the checkup was great! Radiation had kept "the twins" stable. Our family began to think that maybe our lives would go back to normal. That is until June struck. Mom suffered a Grand Mal seizure and was rushed to the hospital. Her visit with her team at Cleveland Clinic was also in June. It is then that we learned the devastating news that "the twins" grew into eight, "the family"! We were told that radiation cannot keep up with the growth of these tumors. As she sat in the doctor's office she looked at our Dad and said, "I'm going to have to resign, my kids deserve someone better, someone, who can be there every day." So began the whirlwind of our changing life, again.
Mom did resign, which was so hard for her because she loves those kids like they were her own! Joey and I both know that we share our Mom with every kid that walks into her life, that is just who she is. Now she can't drive, due to the seizures. She can't work and has applied for disability, which if approved will not kick in until January 2019. Mom has suffered more seizures and actually been admitted to Cleveland Clinic. We tell her not to worry about the cost, but she does. Throughout her life, she has always made sure that everyone had what they needed, even if she had to go without. If someone needed lunch money, they went to Mrs. P, school supplies, gas money, etc, go see Mrs. P. Now Mrs. P and her family need help. It is a very humbling thing to ask for help when you spend your life helping others. Any help you can give to our family is so greatly appreciated.
God bless,
Danielle Peebles
Then one year later, almost to the day, we discovered she now has two new tumors, "The Tumor Twins" located around that same area. So she is sent to Cleveland Clinic for a second opinion. Within the month the specialists are performing a Gamma Knife, her first. She went back to school the very next day. This procedure may only take 20 minutes, but she sat in this iron mask for seven hours before her treatment was done. Our Dad to distract her from the pain of the mask started playing games with her, which worked. The nurses said they could hear her laughing down at their station. Her next visit would be in March 2017 to see how stable these two were. All the while she wanted to make sure her family at home and at school were taken care of, she gave everything she had.
In March 2017 the checkup was great! Radiation had kept "the twins" stable. Our family began to think that maybe our lives would go back to normal. That is until June struck. Mom suffered a Grand Mal seizure and was rushed to the hospital. Her visit with her team at Cleveland Clinic was also in June. It is then that we learned the devastating news that "the twins" grew into eight, "the family"! We were told that radiation cannot keep up with the growth of these tumors. As she sat in the doctor's office she looked at our Dad and said, "I'm going to have to resign, my kids deserve someone better, someone, who can be there every day." So began the whirlwind of our changing life, again.
Mom did resign, which was so hard for her because she loves those kids like they were her own! Joey and I both know that we share our Mom with every kid that walks into her life, that is just who she is. Now she can't drive, due to the seizures. She can't work and has applied for disability, which if approved will not kick in until January 2019. Mom has suffered more seizures and actually been admitted to Cleveland Clinic. We tell her not to worry about the cost, but she does. Throughout her life, she has always made sure that everyone had what they needed, even if she had to go without. If someone needed lunch money, they went to Mrs. P, school supplies, gas money, etc, go see Mrs. P. Now Mrs. P and her family need help. It is a very humbling thing to ask for help when you spend your life helping others. Any help you can give to our family is so greatly appreciated.
God bless,
Danielle Peebles
Organizer and beneficiary
Dani Peebles
Organizer
Lyons, OH
Connie Siravo Peebles
Beneficiary