Women We Helped – Mary

Grant Recipient: Mary

Believe it or not, my mom has an amazing spirit about her, and I have always known her to be a fighter.

Diagnosis: Stage II Carcinoma in situ (diagnosed 08/14)

Treatment: Mastectomy, Chemotherapy, Radiation, Lumpectomy, Hormone Treatments

Grant used for: Transportation assistance

Mary’s story: Mary and her husband are retired and live on a fixed income. Their daughter describes them as “selfless people who do so much for our community and others.” Over the past few years, Mary and her husband have faced several difficult health diagnoses. Mary suffers from Parkinson’s disease and Meniere’s disease, an inner-ear disorder that causes episodes of vertigo. Mary’s husband was also recently diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In August of 2014, Mary’s doctors discovered that she had carcinoma in situ. She underwent a mastectomy and lumpectomy, but after her surgery her doctors discovered that he had cancer in two lymph nodes. At the time her grant request was submitted, Mary was scheduled to undergo chemotherapy, which would be followed by radiation and hormone therapy.

In the grant application, Mary’s daughter wrote, “I am not certain how my parents make it day-by-day with a fixed income.” Their health problems have made it difficult for Mary and her husband to pay their bills and take up a large amount of their time and focus. Typically, radiation therapy requires continual sessions, which means that Mary will need to travel over 70 miles round trip each day for her appointments.

Despite all of these difficulties, Mary is still able to show an incredible amount of grace and faith. On her grant application she wrote, “I’m still able to count my blessings.” She is thankful for her supportive family and the many “prayer warriors,” who are asking that she and her husband get well.

With the help of our kind hearted donors, SOPFCA was able to provide Mary with a grant to pay her auto insurance. We were also able to provide her with an ARCO gas gift card. This grant will go a long way toward helping Mary make it to her chemotherapy and radiation treatments so she can beat her cancer once and for all.