Heather Westfall Memorial Fund
Donation protected
On July 10, 2017 My Love, My Life, My Wife, Heather Giles-Westfall and I lost our year-long war against her widespread stage 4 small bowel cancer. She never gave up because THAT IS WHO SHE WAS. She moved back to Troy, AL to be near family while she fought as I continued to live and work in Atlanta to keep insurance, taking over as primary caregiver every Thursday night through Sunday for 6 months. I left my job in January of 2017 and became her primary caregiver which I am grateful for. With the help of family and her Social Security our basic needs were met, but medical and other expenses grew past what family could take care of. Through all this she kept her faith and love for people. THAT IS WHO SHE WAS.
At the time of her passing she was surrounded by family and the love and prayers of thousands from Space Camp, Hallmark, Chi-Omega, our Church Group, and others. Her cancer was found during a surgery for cysts on her ovary, 4 months after a misdiagnosis of small bowel Crohn’s Disease. Even with bad news I knew she was going to fight the “stupid cancer,” as she called it, because THAT IS WHO SHE WAS. A friend had created a Facebook site early on called Team Heather #Cancersucks for people to keep up on her progress, now it helps us all heal with shared stories and memories - I keep seeing the same, true things said about her: positive, genuine, not pretentious, fun-loving, sweet, real, kind. THAT IS WHO SHE WAS.
There were good days, bad days, and days in between. And while she went to the hospital several times for infections, fluid on the lungs and such, through it all she always had a smile and a thank you for those caring for her because THAT IS WHO SHE WAS. At the Montgomery Cancer Center where she did chemo she made several friends of the staff and loved it there because she always felt they treated everyone as if they were the only one there. Wherever she was she would make the care givers feel appreciated after leaving her even if she couldn’t feel better. THAT IS WHO SHE WAS.
If you never met Heather I feel sad for you; your life is a little less bright even though you do not know it. Even Facebook friends would tell you no less because THAT IS WHO SHE WAS. She loved Space Camp in Huntsville, AL and made the kids feel like rock star astronauts, the Counselors feel like rock star Trainers, and Management feel like a rock star (her) was taking care of business. Her Hallmark family appreciated her turning mundane inventories into songfests, and her church group saw the love and caring she had for all of them. Her family always saw the positive fighter she was even when the news was bleak at the beginning (weeks to live) and up to the end (over a YEAR later) by having us move her to her favorite living room recliner near everyone instead of being cooped up in the bedroom medical bed. THAT IS WHO SHE WAS.
THIS IS WHO SHE WAS: Once she told me she was at the Post Office and people were being, well, how people in a long line at a Post Office can get and the guy behind the counter’s face showed it. At her turn she went to him and said (I’m paraphrasing), “I just want to say thank you for helping us all out, I appreciate you and think of me if you need a smile.” She said he looked confused at first, but as he helped her with her business he began to smile and said, “Thank you, I needed that.” THAT IS WHO SHE WAS.
With the support of Heather's friends and colleagues, we have started this page to raise the needed funds for medical expenses, final expenses, and to help Heather's family in our time of need. The funds raised through this page will be used for
-Medical Expenses: $65,000 for the last two years, including when she had cancer yet had not been diagnosed correctly.
-Final Expenses: $15,000
-Pay off old car/home insurance due (was cancelled), 6 month Auto Insurance due up front; tags for car for Alabama from GA: $1,250
-Car payments: 1 late, 3 more as I look for work $235 each for $940
-3 House Payments as I look for work: $1,875
-Other late payments (Banfield, Credit Card, student loan, Etc.): $1,000
-Unexpected expenses: about $3,000
-Heather Giles-Westfall Memorial Space Camp Scholarship Fund: About $2,000 to help family members go to Family Space Camp during Heather’s birthday week of Aug 12, 2017. This program was her favorite Space Camp program – I proposed to her during this weekend program in November 2001.
Thank you all for your love, support and friendship. Please share your memories of Heather and celebrate her passion, her faith and the incredible person that she was.
At the time of her passing she was surrounded by family and the love and prayers of thousands from Space Camp, Hallmark, Chi-Omega, our Church Group, and others. Her cancer was found during a surgery for cysts on her ovary, 4 months after a misdiagnosis of small bowel Crohn’s Disease. Even with bad news I knew she was going to fight the “stupid cancer,” as she called it, because THAT IS WHO SHE WAS. A friend had created a Facebook site early on called Team Heather #Cancersucks for people to keep up on her progress, now it helps us all heal with shared stories and memories - I keep seeing the same, true things said about her: positive, genuine, not pretentious, fun-loving, sweet, real, kind. THAT IS WHO SHE WAS.
There were good days, bad days, and days in between. And while she went to the hospital several times for infections, fluid on the lungs and such, through it all she always had a smile and a thank you for those caring for her because THAT IS WHO SHE WAS. At the Montgomery Cancer Center where she did chemo she made several friends of the staff and loved it there because she always felt they treated everyone as if they were the only one there. Wherever she was she would make the care givers feel appreciated after leaving her even if she couldn’t feel better. THAT IS WHO SHE WAS.
If you never met Heather I feel sad for you; your life is a little less bright even though you do not know it. Even Facebook friends would tell you no less because THAT IS WHO SHE WAS. She loved Space Camp in Huntsville, AL and made the kids feel like rock star astronauts, the Counselors feel like rock star Trainers, and Management feel like a rock star (her) was taking care of business. Her Hallmark family appreciated her turning mundane inventories into songfests, and her church group saw the love and caring she had for all of them. Her family always saw the positive fighter she was even when the news was bleak at the beginning (weeks to live) and up to the end (over a YEAR later) by having us move her to her favorite living room recliner near everyone instead of being cooped up in the bedroom medical bed. THAT IS WHO SHE WAS.
THIS IS WHO SHE WAS: Once she told me she was at the Post Office and people were being, well, how people in a long line at a Post Office can get and the guy behind the counter’s face showed it. At her turn she went to him and said (I’m paraphrasing), “I just want to say thank you for helping us all out, I appreciate you and think of me if you need a smile.” She said he looked confused at first, but as he helped her with her business he began to smile and said, “Thank you, I needed that.” THAT IS WHO SHE WAS.
With the support of Heather's friends and colleagues, we have started this page to raise the needed funds for medical expenses, final expenses, and to help Heather's family in our time of need. The funds raised through this page will be used for
-Medical Expenses: $65,000 for the last two years, including when she had cancer yet had not been diagnosed correctly.
-Final Expenses: $15,000
-Pay off old car/home insurance due (was cancelled), 6 month Auto Insurance due up front; tags for car for Alabama from GA: $1,250
-Car payments: 1 late, 3 more as I look for work $235 each for $940
-3 House Payments as I look for work: $1,875
-Other late payments (Banfield, Credit Card, student loan, Etc.): $1,000
-Unexpected expenses: about $3,000
-Heather Giles-Westfall Memorial Space Camp Scholarship Fund: About $2,000 to help family members go to Family Space Camp during Heather’s birthday week of Aug 12, 2017. This program was her favorite Space Camp program – I proposed to her during this weekend program in November 2001.
Thank you all for your love, support and friendship. Please share your memories of Heather and celebrate her passion, her faith and the incredible person that she was.
Organizer
Scott Westfall
Organizer
Huntsville, AL
