Help Bonnie's Kids Survive Cancer
Donation protected
Monday, September 11th was a pivotal date not just in American history, but the history of my family as well. Monday morning, my wife, Bonnie, woke up screaming for the seventh day in a row from extreme pain. For months she had been complaining of back pain and we had gone to multiple doctors and hospitals. Each time the diagnosis was different. Once it was pneumonia, once it was pinched nerves in her back, two broken vertebrates, and on and on. She had given up and decided to just deal with the pain. But last Monday was different. It was not something she could deal with.
My mom took her to the emergency room and I met them there. They did a day's worth of tests and discovered that she had stage 4 cancer and the excrutiating pain was from the spinal fluid leaking, that was the reason she had such horrible headaches the past week. Her undetected cancer had already spread into her lymph nodes which means it is everywhere and growing. Her back, her neck, lungs, and now her organs.
Fourteen years ago Bonnie came into my life at the perfect moment. At a crossroads in my life she was never afraid to tell me the way things really were. She makes me a better man every day by telling me that I can accomplish any dream in the world by putting my nose to the grindstone and standing my ground. From a young man without a direction, she has helped me grow into a husband and father that supports my family. My beautiful little family includes our 13 year old daughter and our 8 year old son who we adopted. Bonnie has also created a stable home environment for other children in our community who need a haven to run to when their own households can't support them.
Currently, I am taking care of 3 kids and going to the hospital every day. It's a 5 hour drive to the hospital and back and it has been difficult with school to find reliable childcare in the needed hour. Every day is unpredictable and I have had to call off work more than I ever have in my life, in addition to the added expenses of driving so far.
Our immediate need is for gas and food money and to not have our electric turned off at home, in addition to housing for the nights that I have to stay at her side too late to make the long drive home. Only one of us can stay at the hospital for obvious reasons.
Bonnie's prognosis is not good. We are doing all we can but preparing for the worst. I know that all the work she has done to create our beautiful family and community will last long after she is gone.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read our story and help us through this difficult time. We apprieciate it more than you will ever know.
My mom took her to the emergency room and I met them there. They did a day's worth of tests and discovered that she had stage 4 cancer and the excrutiating pain was from the spinal fluid leaking, that was the reason she had such horrible headaches the past week. Her undetected cancer had already spread into her lymph nodes which means it is everywhere and growing. Her back, her neck, lungs, and now her organs.
Fourteen years ago Bonnie came into my life at the perfect moment. At a crossroads in my life she was never afraid to tell me the way things really were. She makes me a better man every day by telling me that I can accomplish any dream in the world by putting my nose to the grindstone and standing my ground. From a young man without a direction, she has helped me grow into a husband and father that supports my family. My beautiful little family includes our 13 year old daughter and our 8 year old son who we adopted. Bonnie has also created a stable home environment for other children in our community who need a haven to run to when their own households can't support them.
Currently, I am taking care of 3 kids and going to the hospital every day. It's a 5 hour drive to the hospital and back and it has been difficult with school to find reliable childcare in the needed hour. Every day is unpredictable and I have had to call off work more than I ever have in my life, in addition to the added expenses of driving so far.
Our immediate need is for gas and food money and to not have our electric turned off at home, in addition to housing for the nights that I have to stay at her side too late to make the long drive home. Only one of us can stay at the hospital for obvious reasons.
Bonnie's prognosis is not good. We are doing all we can but preparing for the worst. I know that all the work she has done to create our beautiful family and community will last long after she is gone.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read our story and help us through this difficult time. We apprieciate it more than you will ever know.
Organizer
Joshua Cochran
Organizer
Vinton, OH
