Earnie and Deb Bowman

Earnie Bowman was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic pancreatic cancer on December 19th, 2019. The metastasis has spread to his liver and his prognosis is not good. The doctors have said with aggressive treatment he hopefully has a year.  Earnie is receiving all of his treatment at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center, in Boulder, where his wife, Deb, works. Earnie’s first round of chemo did not go well, resulting in a hospital stay. He has been working when he feels well enough, but that isn’t often, which has drastically cut his income. THE BACKSTORY My daughter, Martha, and I met Deb Bowman, Earnie’s wife of 22 years, in the fall of 2015 at Boulder Foothills Hospital lab. Martha has been battling Ewing Sarcoma since she was 13 and often times has had to get her blood drawn up to 3 times a week when she is getting chemo.  We would go to the local Boulder lab whenever we could so we didn’t have to make the drive to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora.  Deb quickly became Martha’s favorite phlebotomist. Deb would come in early or stay late so Martha would not have to miss school. It is people like Deb who made things a little easier during a difficult time. Martha has relapsed twice since her initial diagnosis so we have gotten to know Deb very, very well. She brought her whole family to Martha’s end-of-chemo party in 2016. They are a wonderful family and I want to help them. I hope you will too. Earnie and Deb have two boys, Dakota (20) and Spencer (18) and a daughter, Kayleigh (16). Dakota recently moved to North Carolina to start college, Spencer just graduated and is job hunting and Kayleigh is focused on school. They help when they can, but no one expects the kids to carry this burden at such young ages. Earnie worked two jobs for many years so Deb was able to stay home when their kids were young. He has ALWAYS put Deb and the kids first. He is his family’s hero. “Earnie is the first and only one I want to see when things are bad. I do not know how I will live without him,” Deb said. These two are a real example of true love. It’s palpable when you are around them. With making payments on his treatment and the cost of all of his prescriptions, and gas to Boulder and back, they are struggling to make ends meet.  He is applying for social security disability, but approval can take months. On top of all this, they were also just notified that they have to move out of the rental home (in Loveland) they have lived in for 13 years by April 9th. It’s going to be a real challenge to find something Deb can afford on her income alone. Coming up with enough money to get a new place and move seems impossible at this point as they are scrambling to pay medical bills before each paycheck runs out. They would like to stay in Loveland if at all possible so Kayleigh can graduate from high school with her friends. Life is hard enough for them right now without the prospect of uprooting, so if you know of a rental in the Loveland or surrounding area, please let us know. In addition to Earnie’s illness, Deb had a hernia repair and two subsequent surgeries (one occurring the day after his diagnosis). Since her surgeries, she has struggled with anemia, chronic infections and an open wound that refuses to heal.  In spite of this, she continues to work and care for Earnie, their kids and a slew of foster kittens. Her kindness and generosity of spirit truly knows no bounds. If you would prefer not to donate via GoFundMe, please contact me about other ways to help or how to make a direct donation to Bowmans. I so appreciate your considering making a donation. Thank you so much.