Support for Nathan Titus and family

My name is Nichole DePersis and Carrie Titus has been my best friend since we were in Kindergarten. Carrie is a hard-working mother of three. She is one of the most selfless people I have ever met. In all the years I have known her she has literally never asked for anything from anyone. She has had the same job for over 15 years and she has always worked very hard for what little she has. She’s one of the best mothers I’ve ever known and she’s played such a huge role in the type of mother that I’vebecome. I can’t put into words how lucky I am to have her in my life. Carrie has come to a point in her own life where she desperately needs help. She is emotionally spent, tired and scared to death. She would be the very last person in the world to ask for it, which is why I’m asking. I love this family with all of my heart and it kills me to see Carrie having to bear all of thisalone. Please read about her family’s story and if you can donate anything at all, I promise you, you won’t find a more grateful family.

 

In February of 2017, Carrie’s 13-year-old son Damin was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He went through 6 rounds of chemo treatments, and has now (thank the lord) been in remission for a little over a year. You may remember a go fund me page that was created for Damin during that time, as well as a benefit that was held for him. They raised around $5,000, which Carrie was so grateful for because it allowed her to travel back and forth from Syracuse, helped cover medical costs, and allowed her to take a very short leave from work.

 

What you may not know is that during the first week of Damin’s1st chemo treatment in Syracuse, her oldest son Nathan, who was 15 at the time, was also hospitalized at Wilson hospital. He was originally diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, which progressed and was eventually re-diagnosed as Crones Disease. After being sent home multiple times before he was medically ready, Carrie made the decision to have him brought to Syracuse where she felt he would get better care. At that time, she had two of her children inpatient in a hospital that was located over an hour from her home. I still remember her calling me frantically one rare night where both boys were home, Damin was running a high fever and Nathan was so weak he couldn’t even sit up. When I got there, we had to carry Nathans limp lifeless 16-year-old body which was basically just bones, out to the car and rush them both to Syracuse hospital. Once we were there we sat in the ER for hours in the middle of the night. It was by far one of the worst nights of my life and it wasn’t my children. Since then, Carrie has had to do this “run” countless times on her own. I honestly don’t know how she does it.

 

Damin has been in remission now for over a year, and he’s doing awesome! But Nathan is still fighting for his life. Since February of 2017, Nathan has had 12 hospitalizations, the worst of themlasting 63 days and another, 70 days. He has had 9 abdominal surgeries, and has been given 23 units of blood with countlesscomplications along the way. He was recently admitted again and is projected to have another long stay. Nathan has not been to school since Feb of 2017, he is supposed to be a senior year in high school this year. He has already missed out on so much. This is a very devastating time for him and he needs his mother with him while he battles for his life.

 

Both her and her husband work full time, but they share one vehicle and now have two school aged children at home. This makes traveling to and from the hospital while both parents still work full time, nearly impossible. On the rare occasion that Nathan has been discharged and is trying to heal at home, he needs around the clock care as he is on IV medications that need to be dispensed every few hours. Carrie previously took a very short leave from work and has exhausted her PTO. Any donations to this family would go towards travel expenses and allow Carrie to take the time off of work she needs in order to be with and care for her son.

 

Thinking about all the time Nathan has had to spend in excruciating pain, alone in a hospital room because they cannot afford to take time off of work is just not fair. Its killing Carrie emotionally and I can only imagine the trauma its causing in Nathan. If you can donate anything at all, it will be so appreciated, but even just sharing their story and getting the word out would help. Thank you in advance for your time, prayers, and love.