Elizabeth Heller

NO LONGER ACCEPTING DONATIONS For those of you who knew Tracy, she was the type of person you could sit and talk to for hours without getting tired. She loved to fish, sing on long road trips, cook and bake for her people, and give to those who were in need. She was the type of woman who would give you the clothes off her back and her last penny if you asked, and I want to be able to honor her memory properly and keep my promise. She was too amazing of a woman to not celebrate properly. In Spring of 2021, my mother was diagnosed with spinal and kidney cancer. Everything was put on the back burner. I picked up more hours at work to help counteract the cost of radiation and chemotherapy treatments and traveled half an hour to my childhood home every weekend to aid with housework and meal prep. When she had surgery to remove three compromised vertibrae and her left kidney, we thought that would be the end of her cancer journey. We were wrong… A year later, the cancer had metastisized to her lungs before migrating to her skull and brain. Complications due to intensive radiation treatments caused me to call an ambulance due to the intense pain she was in. Scans showed that she suffered a burst ear drum from the radiation, and the blood vessels hadn't clotted properly. This caused a brain bleed and immense pressure on her skull. After two weeks of observation from oncologists, she was transferred to a rehabilitation facility in the hopes of regaining her range of motion and regain muscle. Just when we thought things were getting better, things took a turn for the worst. Her body began to shut down again, and we made the impossible decision of signing her into hospice. 28 days later, on July 26th of 2025, my mother rejoined my late father in heaven. I'm making this GoFundMe in the hopes of being able to pay for my mother's celebration of life as well as rebuild the foundations of our lives that were shattered by her loss. My mother deserves to have her dying wishes granted, and I want nothing more than to provide that for her even if she is no longer with us. She wanted to have a celebration of life held in the same state park where my father proposed to her. Unfortunately, my current finances don't allow me to provide such an event for my family and her friends. That's why I am reaching out here. I can't help but feel like I'm breaking my final promise to the woman who gave me life by waiting another moment. Even if you can't donate, thank you for reading her story. In truth, I'm not the type of person that knows how to ask for help in time of need. But this is one of those instances where I have to swallow my pride and admit that I am human and need help like everyone else. I want to be able to provide a proper send-off for her as well as life the life I promised I would live for her. So, if you've made it this far, thank you. Even if you can't donate, sharing this would make all the difference.