Our friend Lucy Royer Schaly of Chippewa Township needs our help. She is facing another critical challenge in a 10-year series of tough health setbacks.

After brain surgery this month to remove a large tumor, doctors diagnosed Lucy with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. She’s being treated for smaller unremovable tumors as she recovers from the surgery and undergoes therapy for mobility damage the tumor caused. Now home, she’s found it’s not accessible for her, and changes need to be made.

You may know Lucy as the extremely talented longtime photojournalist at the Beaver County Times, as well as at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Her decades of work captured many award-winning indelible images of our humanity. She was the caring face behind the camera, sometimes crying with her subjects. You may know her as a member of the huge Royer family of Economy, from Quigley Catholic high school, or from Kent State University, or from thousands of baseball games.

Terribly, Lucy got bad news twice on the same day she learned of her tumor: She'll lose her job when the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette permanently closes in May.

Lucy – wife for 34 years to Joe, mother of adult children Hannah and Colin, and newly minted grandma to baby Dean – has shown incredible strength and resilience. The road ahead is long and uncertain. Joe has been by her side, supporting her through every hard day. But Joe can’t be there all the time, and Lucy needs better access to care for herself.

As Lucy and Joe focus on her recovery, expenses will continue to grow. The cost to refit her home is currently paramount. All these costs can be overwhelming, and it’s hard for any family to face them alone.

That’s why we’re reaching out to our friends, family, and community — to come together and help ease this burden for Lucy and Joe, so they can focus on her healing. We believe in the power of community and want this fundraiser to be a team project. Every donation, no matter the size, will make a real difference in Lucy and Joe’s lives. Your support, encouragement, and kindness mean the world to them. Please join us in lifting up Lucy and Joe during this difficult time. Thank you for being part of their team.