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Our family is reaching out to our community to ask for support for my mom, Deanna, as she begins her fight against a rare squamous cell rectal cancer. Her diagnosis came suddenly and has brought overwhelming emotional, physical, and financial challenges.
If you know Deanna, you know she has always been a helper, a giver, and a caregiver. She has a true servant’s heart. For years, she has cared for so many children in our town—kids who lovingly call her “Dea Dea.” To them, she is more than a caregiver; she is a safe place, a comfort, and someone who loves them like her own. She pours that same love into her grandchildren and into anyone in Wrangell who expresses a need. She shows up, she listens, and she gives without hesitation or expectation.
This season has been especially heartbreaking and scary because Deanna is such an essential part of our everyday lives. She isn’t just “Mom” or “Mother-in-Law”—she is Grandma Dea Dea. She bakes cookies with the babies, gets down on the floor to do puzzles, and provides daycare for some of their very best friends. She has supported the kind of childhood I always wanted for my children—full of imagination, play, safety, and love.
Now, I am asking our community to help support Deanna during this unexpected and overwhelming time. She has always been there for me, for our family, and for so many others. This is my opportunity to ask the community to show up for her in the same way she has spent her life showing up for everyone else.
Because her cancer is rare and aggressive, her treatment will require travel, specialists, and frequent appointments away from home. These come with significant costs—financially, emotionally, and physically. Funds raised will go directly toward medical bills not covered by insurance, travel and lodging for treatment, meals and unexpected travel expenses, and support for her day-to-day needs during treatment and recovery.
Any contribution—whether it is a donation, a prayer, sharing this fundraiser, or sending encouragement—means more than words can express. We know times are hard for many families, and we are deeply grateful for every act of kindness. Thank you for surrounding Deanna with your love and strength.
If you know Deanna, you know she has always been a helper, a giver, and a caregiver. She has a true servant’s heart. For years, she has cared for so many children in our town—kids who lovingly call her “Dea Dea.” To them, she is more than a caregiver; she is a safe place, a comfort, and someone who loves them like her own. She pours that same love into her grandchildren and into anyone in Wrangell who expresses a need. She shows up, she listens, and she gives without hesitation or expectation.
This season has been especially heartbreaking and scary because Deanna is such an essential part of our everyday lives. She isn’t just “Mom” or “Mother-in-Law”—she is Grandma Dea Dea. She bakes cookies with the babies, gets down on the floor to do puzzles, and provides daycare for some of their very best friends. She has supported the kind of childhood I always wanted for my children—full of imagination, play, safety, and love.
Now, I am asking our community to help support Deanna during this unexpected and overwhelming time. She has always been there for me, for our family, and for so many others. This is my opportunity to ask the community to show up for her in the same way she has spent her life showing up for everyone else.
Because her cancer is rare and aggressive, her treatment will require travel, specialists, and frequent appointments away from home. These come with significant costs—financially, emotionally, and physically. Funds raised will go directly toward medical bills not covered by insurance, travel and lodging for treatment, meals and unexpected travel expenses, and support for her day-to-day needs during treatment and recovery.
Any contribution—whether it is a donation, a prayer, sharing this fundraiser, or sending encouragement—means more than words can express. We know times are hard for many families, and we are deeply grateful for every act of kindness. Thank you for surrounding Deanna with your love and strength.