Sylvia Copeland and Family

Friends and Family of the Copelands.  There has been a lot going on this past year and George and Sylvia need your prayers and help!

George: still has a feeding tube and not able to eat through his mouth. He is on disability and receiving Social Security.  He has physical limitations and is unable to do some everyday things. He is still not at his goal weight and it’s very difficult for him to even go up the stairs.

 Sylvia: is on short term disability because her cancer is back.  Sylvia is going to chemotherapy and she is looking at three more surgeries to remove the cancer from her liver this summer. They are behind on their bills because of limited funds since Sylvia has been at home since April and has not received a pay check. They have used up all of their savings and maxed out their credit cards.

 Please share this with anyone who knows and loves the Copelands. 

 














Here's the latest on George and Sylvia: 
George just got a port and a feeding tube.  This will be his new normal.  
Sylvia's Short term disability just ended, and she is trying to return to work so they have an income and some health insurance.  Just trying to juggle doctor's appointments, treatments, and such is a full-time job.
Please continue to support them in anyway you can and lift them up in your prayers and thoughts.  

*****Important Update*******: George just found out that he also has Stage 4 Cancer.  So both Sylvia and George are battling hard.  Please lift them up in your prayers and thoughts, support them, and share this post so more people can lift them up and pray for them and support them.  




Dear friends and relatives of the Copeland family:

As many of you know, our beloved Sylvia was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic (to liver) Colon Cancer 4 months ago.  As a result of the side effects produced by the intense and aggressive chemotherapy regimen, Sylvia's physical capacity has declined and she has subsequently been placed under Shor-term Disability from her teaching job in Manassas City Public Schools.

To everyone's dismay, the family painfully learned a week ago that her husband George has also been diagnosed with Cancer of the Throat. George who had been furloughed by his company shortly after the onset of the pandemic, has not been able to collect unemployment benefits since this past November.  Adding to this misfortune, his company has not provided him with the severance benefits he is entitled to. At 62, George now has applied for early retirement, however, he will not be receiving any pension benefits until June of 2021.

Now, with both of them receiving sudden and severe blows to their state of health and sources of livelihood, they are simultaneously taking on heavy financial liabilities to be able to respond to their share of their combined medical costs, maintain their health coverage and meet their very basic economic obligations.   The last thing this family needs to worry about is surviving financially. 

Under these dreadful set of circumstances, once more we request for your prayers and kind contributions for our dear Copeland family who has been faced by an extended period of extraordinary physical, emotional and financial hardship caused by this terrible disease and the unprecedent challenges we are all facing during these especially trying times.  Please share this on every social media you are on and in any way you can.  We should consider it a blessing to help and lift them up in prayers. 

In their name we give thanks to each and every one of you and may God bless you all. 

Another way you can help support the Copeland family is spreading the word about Sylvia's beautiful wreaths she is making and selling to help support their family.  Check it out at wreathsbysyl https://etsy.me/2XxqddE  



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I asked Sylvia to share her story with us, and this is what she shared: 

I have so much to be thankful for: God and my faith, my family, my wonderful friends and amazing students. I am also thankful for my rewarding job as an English as a Second Language (ESOL) teacher as well as for all of my fellow educators who have inspired me through the years to always give the best of myself to the children under my care.  Teaching is my passion and I love to help my students and their families; to empower them with the tools that they need to learn English so they can continue to excel in their academic journeys and pursue their professional dreams.

 

Unfortunately, last April, after a routine medical examination, the doctors found that I had a polyp in my colon and after conducting a biopsy of the tissue, they discovered that it was cancerous. Not long after, the doctors performed a 7-hour colectomy to remove and reattach the affected section of my colon.  Subsequently and after conducting other tests, the doctors confirmed that the procedure was successful and that there was no more cancer in my body.  However, last month after coming down with severe cramps on my left leg and soon after, suffering with unbearable pain under my right breast, I went to urgent care where after multiple tests and scans they discovered I had pulmonary embolism in both of my lungs as well as multiple blood clots in my left leg. A scan also revealed two large masses in my liver and supraclavicular lymph nodes. After being hospitalized for several days during which more laboratory tests and scans were conducted, a biopsy of the liver tissue revealed that the initial colon cancer had metastasized to the liver and that I was now a stage 4 cancer patient.  When hearing these news I felt the life come out of my body. The whole thing seemed surreal. Since then I’ve felt a multitude of different emotions from disbelief to heartache, grief, confusion, anger, fear, and complete emotional exhaustion.

 

However, I’ve come to a point where I’ve been able to process and digest what is happening to me and I’m thankful to my family and all of the support and encouragement I’ve received from my beautiful friends and all of the kind people in my life. Recently I’ve started chemotherapy and feel hopeful and confident that with the grace of God I’m on the path to recovery. But the road ahead is going to be very hard and it will take its toll on me not only physically and emotionally but most regrettably, also financially. I can’t say that I was ever prepared for anything like this to come into my life but in the context of the COVID pandemic, this couldn’t have happened at a worst time, as my husband has been furloughed from his job since March as a direct result of the crisis and been collecting unemployment ever since.  We are now seeing the reality of the consequences from these events as bills are starting to pile up due to the expenses incurred, and the fact that medical insurance will not cover the entirety of my visits, hospital stays, chemotherapy and potential interventions and treatments that my oncologist and his colleagues are considering for my case currently and Lord forbid, in the event that the first level of treatment options do not work to treat the disease. Surgery to remove the liver tumors is currently being discussed to be carried out in parallel to the chemotherapy. My Sick Leave is already exhausted and should the surgery go forward, I will not be covered financially during my recovery period. I want to thank everyone in advance for their consideration towards me and my family during this very difficult time for us, especially now that the Holidays are approaching which is a time when our family, like yours, comes together to celebrate the miracle of the Lord and the sacrifices He made on our behalf. May God bless you all!