Lift up the Pedwaydons
Donation protected
As the oldest of three, I have had the priviledge of teasing, fighting, annoying, mildly torturing (depending on who tells the story), and loving a younger brother and sister. We shared many things growing up, some things we still talk about and others we'd rather not.
As we have grown and started our own families, keeping in touch has become harder. All have remained in Michigan except my family. We do work at getting together as much as possible. Below is a picture of us all together celebrating my parent's 50th anniversary.
Since that picture a lot has happened. It is my brother's story that I am here to share. He is the one wearing the red hat in the picture. His wife, Sheri, is in the pink hat and their 2 boys are to the left of my brother, Frank. Frank has been a great brother and friend. He motivated me to quit smoking when I was in college, he stood up for me when I was a 'little upset about a call' at a softball game, he fed my ego when I needed it and also gave me a ride when I couldn't find anyone else. Yes, he is starting to sound like the older sibling. Those are just a few of the many ways that he has helped me. Now, I would like to help him.
You see, his wife, my sister-in-law, has bone cancer. Their boys, my nephews, ages 9 and 7, were just told about it. Frank and Sheri felt that it was time. Their story has been filled with homeruns, strikeouts, walks, rain delays and hits by pitches. Here is a recap.
The first few innings were tough but they came out in the lead. Sheri had been diagnosed with breast cancer, went though chemo, hair loss and all the trials of cancer treatment. As a family they didn't give up and continued to take the field and go up to bat. Their first homerun came when the doctor told them that Sheri was cancer free.
Things were going well until Sheri started to feel pain in her leg. She had to take some 'walks', the doctors said maybe some physical therapy would help. Rain delay. But the pain didn't stop and Frank had to take her to the hospital. Hit by pitch. Her leg was broken, she needed surgery. Diagnosis: bone cancer. Strikeout.
Oh, but the game was not over. They were down but they are true ball players. They didn't give up. Frank worked overtime, drove Sheri to physical therapy, and called on family and friends to help with the boys. Soon, they were back in the game. Sheri was walking without the aide of a walker, went back to work, started coaching a bowling team and played more with the boys. Frank no longer needed to work extra hours. Family time was restored and they were also able to make time for a family trip out west. They made a come back.
Why all the baseball references? Well, baseball/softball is one of the things that we, the Pedwaydons, play together. Growing up, on road trips, we played catch at rest stops. Weekend picnics either started or finished with playing baseball. We played whenever we could. After high school, before kids, we all played on a softball team at Softball City. Sheri pitched. She was a great pitcher.
Back to the game: As I said, things were going well until Sheri's energy started to wane. So much so, that she had to cut back on things and eventually was unable to go to work. She remains at home, fighting the chemo and cancer. The bills are piling up and Frank has been unable to spend much time with Sheri and the boys. He continues to work overtime to cover the bills until the disability that Sheri applied for comes in. This has been the toughest inning yet.
Sheri has endured so much. Through all of this, Sheri has still managed to give. She makes my brother, Frank, laugh and smile. He loves her so much. She has cooked many elaborate Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for our entire family. Her boys adore her.
Frank is doing all he can to keep this family going strong. It is what he does. When I was younger, Frank and I were playing outside and he fell and hit his head on the cement. I don't remember how it happened, it may have been my fault, I don't know. However, I do recall that he managed to walk himself home while I followed behind crying and trying to catch or stop the blood from pouring out of his head. He did what he needed to do. He trudged home. My parents took him to the doctors; he was stitched up and all was well.
I really wanted to fix his head for him but I was a child and had no idea what to do. I want to fix this for them. I am an adult and I cannot fix this. This is NOT a softball game. There is no umpire that I can yell at to convince that all of this was just a 'bad call'. I can't fix this.
My plea is for prayers and financial help for Frank, Sheri and their 2 boys. My goal is to raise enough money to cover their bills for at least 3 months hoping that they will start receiveing the disability checks by that time.
As for the game, I am praying for many extra innings.
As we have grown and started our own families, keeping in touch has become harder. All have remained in Michigan except my family. We do work at getting together as much as possible. Below is a picture of us all together celebrating my parent's 50th anniversary.
Since that picture a lot has happened. It is my brother's story that I am here to share. He is the one wearing the red hat in the picture. His wife, Sheri, is in the pink hat and their 2 boys are to the left of my brother, Frank. Frank has been a great brother and friend. He motivated me to quit smoking when I was in college, he stood up for me when I was a 'little upset about a call' at a softball game, he fed my ego when I needed it and also gave me a ride when I couldn't find anyone else. Yes, he is starting to sound like the older sibling. Those are just a few of the many ways that he has helped me. Now, I would like to help him.
You see, his wife, my sister-in-law, has bone cancer. Their boys, my nephews, ages 9 and 7, were just told about it. Frank and Sheri felt that it was time. Their story has been filled with homeruns, strikeouts, walks, rain delays and hits by pitches. Here is a recap.
The first few innings were tough but they came out in the lead. Sheri had been diagnosed with breast cancer, went though chemo, hair loss and all the trials of cancer treatment. As a family they didn't give up and continued to take the field and go up to bat. Their first homerun came when the doctor told them that Sheri was cancer free.
Things were going well until Sheri started to feel pain in her leg. She had to take some 'walks', the doctors said maybe some physical therapy would help. Rain delay. But the pain didn't stop and Frank had to take her to the hospital. Hit by pitch. Her leg was broken, she needed surgery. Diagnosis: bone cancer. Strikeout.
Oh, but the game was not over. They were down but they are true ball players. They didn't give up. Frank worked overtime, drove Sheri to physical therapy, and called on family and friends to help with the boys. Soon, they were back in the game. Sheri was walking without the aide of a walker, went back to work, started coaching a bowling team and played more with the boys. Frank no longer needed to work extra hours. Family time was restored and they were also able to make time for a family trip out west. They made a come back.
Why all the baseball references? Well, baseball/softball is one of the things that we, the Pedwaydons, play together. Growing up, on road trips, we played catch at rest stops. Weekend picnics either started or finished with playing baseball. We played whenever we could. After high school, before kids, we all played on a softball team at Softball City. Sheri pitched. She was a great pitcher.
Back to the game: As I said, things were going well until Sheri's energy started to wane. So much so, that she had to cut back on things and eventually was unable to go to work. She remains at home, fighting the chemo and cancer. The bills are piling up and Frank has been unable to spend much time with Sheri and the boys. He continues to work overtime to cover the bills until the disability that Sheri applied for comes in. This has been the toughest inning yet.
Sheri has endured so much. Through all of this, Sheri has still managed to give. She makes my brother, Frank, laugh and smile. He loves her so much. She has cooked many elaborate Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for our entire family. Her boys adore her.
Frank is doing all he can to keep this family going strong. It is what he does. When I was younger, Frank and I were playing outside and he fell and hit his head on the cement. I don't remember how it happened, it may have been my fault, I don't know. However, I do recall that he managed to walk himself home while I followed behind crying and trying to catch or stop the blood from pouring out of his head. He did what he needed to do. He trudged home. My parents took him to the doctors; he was stitched up and all was well.
I really wanted to fix his head for him but I was a child and had no idea what to do. I want to fix this for them. I am an adult and I cannot fix this. This is NOT a softball game. There is no umpire that I can yell at to convince that all of this was just a 'bad call'. I can't fix this.
My plea is for prayers and financial help for Frank, Sheri and their 2 boys. My goal is to raise enough money to cover their bills for at least 3 months hoping that they will start receiveing the disability checks by that time.
As for the game, I am praying for many extra innings.
Organizer and beneficiary
Janet Gibson
Organizer
Evergreen, CO
Frank Pedwaydon
Beneficiary
