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Ruthie Baer's Story of Courage

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It was just a fever, so common in children. A cold, a virus, perhaps some kind of short term illness.  Be patient, give Ibuprofen, even some Tylenol, fight the fever, and as most childhood illnesses, it will go away.  Mom has to work- thus grandmother can care for her for the day, the other grandmother. You follow your daughter’s course by text during the day- the fever that goes up, then down, until shift's end.

The fever won’t go away.

Sadly, shadows of concern start taking the sun out of a mother’s heart.  Perhaps, we’ll draw some blood, some testing to alleviate our worry. Inconclusive. Draw more blood, more tests, just one more puncture of my child.   It is getting all too dark to define at the pediatrician and worry begins to take hold of a mother’s heart.   Go to the emergency room.  More testing and then the result.

Your child has leukemia.

I would imagine it was too hard for her to believe it to be true- how could this be possible? Let’s be admitted for testing, this will allow us to define the type of leukemia- God, let it be hopefully the most benign kind.  Let us get through this.

But it isn’t. Your child has to stay one week in the hospital. Just one week, it will go fast. As you are doing your best to garner the strength- your chemotherapy day arrives, how did this happen- how is this so soon?

Now a weak immune system, more testing and genetic results. Your child will have to stay in her hospital room for 28 days.

It happened to our dearest friend. What began as a simple inconsequential fever, turned into acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)- now, in the body of her 7 year old daughter, Ruthie.

Eileen, my friend is a bastion of love and support to Ruthie, her 'sunshine daughter'.  As any ordinary mother, Eileen has an extraordinary love for her daughter, and its evident to everyone, most importantly Ruthie.

Ruthie is able to sing, play and laugh when the fever is down, in between chemotherapy days. But pain, malaise often takes the light out of her face. She holds to Eileen as her only source of relief.

Friends, coworkers, all want to know how we can help? We all can help with thoughts and prayers. Some of us are able to help financially. We can help by contributing where we can financially so that Eileen can stay at her daughter’s bedside. This is where Ruthie needs her the most.  So here we are, with an avenue for support open for each one of us to help this dear family as much as we can.
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    Organizer and beneficiary

    David Clendenin
    Organizer
    St. Petersburg, FL
    Eileen Kozma-Baer
    Beneficiary

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