Terry and Tori Lipsky Fight Cancer

The Backstory

 
About Tori

        Tori Lipsky, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a wife. She was born in South Bend, IN on March 3, 1974. In 1980, she met Terry Lipsky, the man she would eventually marry and spend the rest of forever with. On August 17, 1994, she became his wife.

       Tori was born a nurturer and a very giving soul, not only to her family but to animals, strangers, and even to those who may not have deserved it. Without being asked, she became the mother figure in her nephew’s life, helping her “baby brother”, Todd who is actually older than she, raise his son. Suiting her character, she went to school and began working as an emergency department certified nursing assistant at Memorial Hospital for nearly 6 years. 


About Terry

         Since the age of 11, Terry’s has worked hard. He joined Misch Manufacturing Inc, a Tool & Die company that manufactures screw machine products. Terry was doing what others failed to do and kept the company’s 1940 machines up and running. He also enjoyed painting and repairing cars, but also has fluent knowledge of electrical, construction work, and other trades.


 Family    

             In 2013, Tori’s father, 69, divorced and living alone, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She then became what her father was to her when she was a child, his provider, and caretaker. Tori quit her job and has since been spending every day with her father and his 12-year-old best friend Sarah, his Jack Russel Pug mix. For the last five years, she has spent her days from 9 am -4 pm, cooking, bathing, laughing and making more memories with her father.

          Attracting them since the day they met, Terry was also a nurturer just like Tori. He took care of his parents for 25 years, he took care of Tori, and then, in 2013, he helped to take care of Tori’s father as well. He became one of the main family providers.

          In September 2017, his father passed away from Rheumatoid Lung Disease, a rare form of Rheumatoid Arthritis that attacks the lung tissue. August 2018, his mother, a survivor of Hairy Cell Leukemia, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and recently passed away on 11/26/18.

 
The Cancer

          In October 2018, Tori began to notice subtle changes in Terry. He started becoming forgetful and he lacked emotional response. Due to loss of balance, he had even run his vehicle off the road. After repeated attempts to take Terry for a check-up, she finally convinced him to go to the emergency department. He was immediately sent back for a head CT, and inside the thalamic portion of his brain, the doctors found a 5.3cm bleeding brain tumor.

           After waiting for what felt like an eternity, the results came back from pathology. He was diagnosed with a rare small cell lung cancer. It was not clear how long he had had the tumor but the doctors thought it had been growing for at least 6 months, giving it time to metastasize to his brain and pancreas. Two weeks later, the doctors found 2 more tumors in his brain.

          Terry, being Tori’s nurturer, knew he was going to fight to keep providing for his family. The oncologists have given him a 16% chance of recovery. He began radiation and chemo treatments in December and continues to go 3-4 days a week.


The Costs

         With Terry’s business being the only income of the family and Terry being the only person able to run the machines, Terry and Tori had to start dipping into their savings to pay for medical bills. With no insurance, retirement, and what little they had saved, they soon sought help from the government.

         Before documents could be processed, our government when into shutdown. Not only have medical bills become a concern but their mortgage, utilities, and groceries have now become a struggle as well.

 
How You Can Help

         Spread the word. Life happens and we aren’t always prepared. Terry and Tori have spent their lives enjoying each other and caring for others, not knowing what lay ahead. Instead of being punished or having to worry about money and bills, Tori deserves to spend this time with the love of her life.