It's the time of the year when we have anxious kids; we've overspent; we're over committed. But I feel the need to ask you, my closest friends for some help for a family who is deserving.
A dad who has stage 4 throat cancer and can't work because of his fatigue and feeding tube. A thirty-five year ASE certified mechanic. A man who is used to providing for his family but is now unable. A man who has been officially been put on disability, but won't see any SSI for three months.
His wife, a mother with a master's degree who for the State of Indiana and teaches on the side, doesn't make enough to pay his medical bills, their mortgage, heat their house, put gas in the car, and feed their two children. The wife/mother is bearing the emotional stress of her husband's illness and weighing the potential outcomes.
Their oldest, a 15 year old son, wants to be just like his dad and be a mechanic when he is older.
Their youngest, a 12 year old daughter, won't talk about his sickness except to say 'Cancer Sucks'.
So at this time when we are all so happy and the season is joyous, my heart breaks for them. The wife is selling 'Cancer Sucks' bracelets to help raise money so they can try to keep their house. I am asking you, as my friend, to help her and her family by buying a bracelet, or 2 or 4.
Do it for the loved ones you've lost. Do it for your own piece of mind. Maybe it is one less fancy coffee this week for you, but it is so much more for them. It says, I see and hear your pain, and I am here to help. After all, we are not an island. We are all in this life together.
Bracelets can be bought here. For those interested in donating to the family directly, or sending a letter or card to tell them they are not alone, message Karl Tatgenhorst or Michelle Tatgenhorst on Facebook.