My name is Marybeth and I would like the opportunity to tell you the story of one of the strongest women I know. Some stories aren’t easy to tell, but they’re the ones that matter most. This is the story of my dear friend Teela Patterson, a woman whose courage, grace, and faith have inspired everyone blessed enough to know her.

Teela walked into the rooms of recovery nearly three years ago, carrying the weight of a brutal IV drug addiction. Like many of us, she was broken, searching for hope in a world that had been anything but kind. But from the moment she surrendered to the journey of recovery, Teela chose life. She chose healing. She chose to fight…not just for herself, but for her family, her children, and every struggling soul who crossed her path.

Yet life had more battles waiting.

In her very first year of recovery, Teela received a diagnosis no one should have to hear: cancer. Where many would’ve crumbled, Teela stood tall. She kept showing up. As a mother, a wife, and a servant in the recovery community, she refused to let fear or sickness define her story. You could always find her offering a listening ear, a word of encouragement, or a quiet prayer for someone else’s healing, even while fighting for her own.

But now, the battle has shifted. Teela was recently given the heartbreaking news that her cancer has progressed. It is no longer curable. The doctors are estimating six months to a year left for her on this side of Heaven. Right now, Teela is undergoing her fourth round of chemotherapy, not to cure her cancer, but simply to help keep her as comfortable as possible.

Still, Teela’s faith is unshaken. Her spirit is strong. But her family faces mounting medical bills, daily expenses, and the painful reality of preparing for the unknown. That’s why we’ve started a GoFundMe, not just to help ease the financial burden, but to help create memories. Memories for her children. Memories with her husband. Moments of joy amidst the heartbreak.

Teela has given her heart to so many of us. Now, it’s our turn to give back.

If you can find it in your heart to donate, pray, or share her story, know that you’re helping to carry a woman who has carried others for so long.

No amount is too small. Every prayer matters. Every gesture counts.

Let’s help Teela write this final chapter with dignity, peace, and the love she so deeply deserves.

Because her story isn’t over yet.