Our mom, Pam, is the most giving, simple, and loving person. She is a gifted RN- always the one caring for others and educating her patients and loved ones. She doesn’t talk about her own struggle with cancer very much. In fact, many people may not even be aware she has been battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia since late 2006. Unfortunately, fighting this type of leukemia for so long eventually means you‘ve run out of treatments and chemotherapies that this type of blood cancer responds to. Our mom is at that point. There is nothing left to help her except a bone marrow transplant. 

Of course, cancer treatment does not come cheaply. Certain aspects of treatment aren’t always covered, and many times, treatment is not local, either. This is the case our family is facing. The bone marrow transplant must take place at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, and Mom plus a Caregiver (one of us daughters, probably rotating) must live in Baltimore too for the 100 days immediately following the transplant, not counting her 30 days inpatient (minimum.). Because her immunity will be at nearly zero, she has to stay very near her doctors to be under their close care while she recovers after she receives the transplant. 

This process and the stay will come at a significant cost, even though we plan to live/stay in Baltimore for those 100 days as modestly as we possibly can. Maintaining a second household away from home, even temporarily, seems daunting and almost impossible, but we know we have to make this happen for Mom. She is the type of woman who would sacrifice anything to make it happen for someone else. 

If you knew any of us (Pam’s kids) as children or teens, chances are you spent time in our home and got to know Mom. She was every kid’s “other Mom“ growing up, and no kid was turned away.  In fact, it was “come as you are”. You were fed, loved, counseled… and mostly, you were free to just breathe and lay down your worries at Pam’s house. Well, now is the time you can give back. 

If you feel so inclined, please make a donation to this fundraiser and help us pull off this life saving transplant for our Mom. No gift is too small, and we pray that every person who gives is blessed back ten fold. 
 

Thank you!