I was tidying up a bit, cleaning out the MIA list, when I noticed that Kate had updated her old blog. The title struck me as odd. Then I read the post.
Fuck.
Consider this a "bleg". Kate is truly good people, and needs help. I Cannot. Imagine.
And, RTWT:
August 1st, 2014
by Venomous Kate
When
I started ElectricVenom.com back in 2003, my son was a toddler and my
husband was an active duty soldier in the U.S. Army who was gone a lot.
A lot.
Then we relocated to a rural area in Hawaii — which isn’t nearly as
pleasant as you’d think — and he was gone even more. There were times
when two, sometimes three weeks would pass and I hadn’t spoken with
anyone over the age of three.
I’ve often said this blog saved my life back then, because it put me
in contact with people all over the world and gave me a reason to think.
Now, I’m hoping this blog can help save my husband’s life, or at least
make what’s left of it a little bit better.
You see, about a month after my last post — on July 12, 2012 to be
specific — we learned that my husband has brain cancer. At the time, his
tumor was considered slow-growing and following surgery, radiation and
chemotherapy, and he was expected to have a very good shot at living a
normal lifespan.
Earlier this week, we learned that his tumors (he has two now) have progressed to
glioblastoma,
which has a median survival rate 14 or so months. Since he’d had an MRI
in May which showed the tumors being in check, the growth between then
and his July MRI indicates the clock started ticking in the past month
or two.
Frankly, we’re terrified. We’re also in need of your help. Although
Mike has been working throughout his various treatments, he is no longer
able to do so. His cognitive and speech skills are rapidly declining,
and he is physically exhausted from nearly 18 straight months of daily
chemotherapy.
Although his boss did everything he could to keep Mike on, his
condition is such that he just can’t keep working. As I type this,
Mike’s resignation letter is sitting on in his office, awaiting his
signature.
But Mike is worried about retiring. It’s not just that he’s a
workaholic, though he is (and that fact is responsible for about 70% of
this blog’s content, come to think of it). He’s also afraid of what’s
going to happen to our family financially once he’s no longer bringing
home a paycheck.
See, Social Security Disability will take a few months to kick in, as
will his Federal medical retirement pay. Until then, we’re broke. Flat.
Broke. (Having a daughter who only just graduated college and a
now-teenaged son who’s in braces and band will do that to a family.)
So we’re raising funds to help Mike complete his Bucket List in the
time he has remaining, and to hopefully cover some of the gap between
his last day of work and his first day of disability payments.
If you can, please contribute. It doesn’t have to be big — even $3
would be great! And, if you can’t contribute, then please know as we do
that prayer is the most valuable form of currency there is. We could
sure use some.
•To read more of Mike’s story, or to contribute to his fundraiser, please visit his GoFundMe.com campaign
here.
•To follow Mike’s progress, please “Like” his Facebook page:
Mike Berry’s Brain Cancer Battle.
Thank you,
Not so “Venomous” anymore Kate
