katieg16

So here is the story.


My husband who is an amazing man that I have been with for almost ten years is losing his mom to cancer.
OUR STORY

We met when I was 17 and he was 22 at a concert and it may sound dumb but it was like love at first sight. We started dating week later after night after night on the phone for all hours of the night and pretty much hanging out everyday. He finally asked me out. He had some baggage when we got together but he was completely honest and laid it all out to me right in the beginning .. First his father who he loved dearly had died of a massive heart attack In September, we met in December. At that time his mother was mentally ill and his father had custody of his little brother and sister who were 9 and 10. So he had a big decision to make. He was 22 with these two heartbroken children that really didnt have anyone and he decided he was gonna step up and be a man and take over guardianship of them and raise them. So he went through the motions and got guardianship. He took care of them financially and probably at the hardest time in their lives. His sister was absolutely heart broken She was a daddys girl. But he was there for them and helped them through and raised them. And he did a damn good job. They are 18 and 20 now. His sister is a sophomore in college and makes amazing grades and his brother is starting his senior year and he makes amazing grades also. They are both intelligent children who care for others just like their brother/my husband.

At the time when his father died his mother was suffering with her mental illness(she is paranoid schizophrenic) and she couldnt really make it financially so he told her to move in with him and he would take care of her too. So there was another burden on his shoulders but he knew it needed to be done and he is one of those people that when he sets his mind to something he will get it done.


I knew all this getting into a relationship and I accepted it. Cause like him I care for people and would do the same for my family. So he has taken care of them for 10 years and still continues to. He wants his brother and sister to be successful and to do good in life so he continues to support them and doesnt want them to have a job so they can focus on school.

So after all this I finally moved in with him after 3 years of being together. We were engaged and we just felt it was time. When I moved in I knew what I was taking on with the kids and his mom and like I said I didnt mind it. So at this point his mother really hadnt been on psych meds so we took the steps to get her on meds and for her to be stable. That required hospital stays, probably 10 or more cause they have to try different things and combos till they figure what works on a person. So they finally figured it out but they literally were at the last option with meds. She is on clozaril which requires a monthly blood draw cause the medicine can mess with your white blood cell count and make you really sick. So we took that on and all banded together to get her healthy and stable on meds and commited to do whatever we had to do. She went to her psychiatrist every month and then every 3 months to work on recovery as they put it.

So we continued on our way in life got married 2 years ago and through all of this I helped raise the kids and take care of her. Many of my friends said that they couldnt believe I took on all this responsibility but I told them you know what you do what you have to do when you love someone. I began to think of his brother and sister as my own kids and was very protective of them.

Here is the important part if you read anything read this. I know this is long but i just wanted everyone to know everything....



About 3 weeks ago his mom started to feel really sick. Having trouble breathing ,throwing up,in pain, and just constant upset stomach. I took her to the doctor as soon as I could and he ordered a pulmonary function test and chest x-rays. I made the appt for them and took her to the hospital to have them done on June 1st which was the first appt they had available to have them done. That afternoon she really was feeling worse so we took her to the emergency room and told them about her mental illness and all her symptoms and told them you know we didnt know what was going on but that we knew something was wrong. They did a bunch of test x-rays, cat scan,mri, and EKG. And the doctor came back and said he found a tumor in her lungs. That it also appeared to spread to her left breast,kidney, and liver. We were shocked and upset. I had to leave the room cause it brought back familiar feelings of losing my Grandma to lung cancer two years before. It was so hard. That night they admitted her to the hospital to get things started. We have been talking to doctor after doctor and she has test after test. The day after she was admitted they did more test and found she had tumors in her brain and also one pressing against her trachea . They also are afraid that she has it on her spine. They have started radiation, they did yesterday which was her 51st birthday. Nice way to celebrate huh? But they wanted to start radiation on her brain tumors so she could remember us and other things. And so that she didnt lose functions like speaking and walking. We havent made a decision on chemotherapy yet cause she has small cell carcinoma which is the most aggressive form of cancer and all they can do is shrink it she will never be cancer free and it will just grow back if she lives through chemo and radiation and spread to other organs. The doctor yesterday said that she is not curable. So we are stuck with what do you do? She wants to fight but I dont think she grasp that there isnt much they can do cause the mental illness gets in the way of her understanding. Also if they do chemo she cant be on her psych meds cause they mess with her white blood cell count and chemo does too and without her meds she will relapse back into her schizophrenia and be not only physically sick but mentally sick. It is such a hard decision. The hardest part out of all of this was coming home and telling her kids that they were gonna lose their mother. I just want to protect them and you cant in this kind of situation. So everyday we are at the hospital all day if we dont work and if we work we come home and take showers and go up and spend the night with her.here is the dilemma. We feel like she probably doesnt have long and we are a young couple taking care of my mother in law who is sick physically and mentally and two kids and we dont have money saved for a funeral or any bills should her insurance not cover this.

So I am setting up a paypal to have friends and family donate to for hospital bills, funeral expense and just miscellaneous things. So if you can donate my family would appreciate it. Even just a small amount every little bit helps right now. You dont understand the burden that it would lift off my shoulders to have a little help. I would appreciate anything. Thank you for reading and donating this if you did. I will post some pics of her and the kids and us for you all..

Paypal acct to donate to

rock_star7@charter.net

any little bit helps. Thanks ahead of time.just know your money will go to help us in a huge way even if it is only a dollar or five it will be helpful and useful..thanks again.

Also Donations can be sent to me at home....

Katie Griggs
514 Brookside Ave
Alton IL 62002

As I said any little bit helps!

Katie Griggs
514 Brookside Ave
Alton IL 62002