Support Colleen Bartlett's Recovery: Brain Tumors
Donation protected
I am Dr. Jeanne I Ruff and I was compelled to set up this fund raiser to support a very dear colleague/friend of mine, Colleen Bartlett of Williamsburg, VA. Her future is uncertain for now, so I would like to raise funds to take care of her medical treatments, medications, housing, living expenses, along travel expenses for her daughter, Casey, a firefighter in Colorado. On February 8th, 2021, Colleen lost consciousness at work and was sent to the hospital for emergency surgery. I learned from Colleen's text that this sudden and tragic event may have caused a brain aneurysm as well as a heart attack: "I had 2 tumors taken out. Considered about the heart. Brain surgery was first. Thank you for your wishes. I am going home today sometime."
After one week, Colleen was released from the hospital, but she is not well enough to return to work. Her priority is to have extensive testing and examination with several specialists to determine if she has cancer. She is scared, but told me she was keeping positive. On February 24th, Colleen surprised the staff and me with a visit to the office with doughnuts. We all cried, shared lots of hugs and were relieved to see her able to walk and speak. She cried and told us she missed us and our patients and was hoping to be back to the office soon. We all hugged her good bye and encouraged her to focus on getting better; we'll see her soon.
Colleen has been my colleague since the beginning of my career when I purchased the practice she was employed by.
She has always been the first one to arrive in the morning to prepare for the day's patients, prepare charts and to set up the equipment, and she has always been the last one to leave at the end of the day.
After the sale of my practice, Colleen accompanied me to our new employer and continued to be my ophthalmic technician. She has endured so much from me, which includes being my guinea pig when I needed to practice with new equipment or procedures.
New Phoropter:
New Visual Field:
When patients arrive, she always remembers their names and their histories. Additionally, she anticipates my needs and what's in the best interest of our patients. She has always been my most valued colleague and with her by my side, she makes me a better doctor. I use to joke with her the if she ever left for another place to work, I'd quit; however I never imagined such an unfortunate situation would happen for her.
We both recently took up acrylic painting and have had so much fun and excitement comparing works. I am truly lost without her; she's like a sister to me. She has always been healthy, energetic, positive and it feels like the wind has been knocked out of us all.
She recently text me how she's doing: "Hey Doc! Been thinking about you! Hope all is going ok at work... I'd rather be there with you! I go on Tue the 2d for gamma knife. So if they find any new lesions, they'll zap them right away. Oncologist ordered additional mutation tests, but no results back yet. Dr Miller seems to be good. Once the mutation results come in, he will figure his plan of action, chemo, radiation or pills. We went over the possible meds, side effects, etc. If they can find the lung mass, they may schedule lung sx for that. so far I haven't fallen in a black hole and trying to keep a positive attitude Just wanted you to know I miss you! I'm not ready to paint, just want to rest and get better! Have a good afternoon! "
We all are praying for a complete recovery without the worry of any financial burdens placed on her and her family; She deserves this! Colleen is a confident, soft-spoken Army Veteran and I have always been able to place my complete trust in her ability to care for our patients. I don't know of anyone else I would rather help raise funds for than Colleen Bartlett.
I miss her, the patients miss her, and my heart goes out to her family. She has two beautiful daughters whom she is so proud of along with her loving husband Freddy who recently retired. I hope these photos over that past 14 years convey the warmth, dignity, and beauty that this wonderful woman possesses and I pray for her speedy recovery because the world is a much better place withher.
Sincerely,
Jeanne I. Ruff, OD
After one week, Colleen was released from the hospital, but she is not well enough to return to work. Her priority is to have extensive testing and examination with several specialists to determine if she has cancer. She is scared, but told me she was keeping positive. On February 24th, Colleen surprised the staff and me with a visit to the office with doughnuts. We all cried, shared lots of hugs and were relieved to see her able to walk and speak. She cried and told us she missed us and our patients and was hoping to be back to the office soon. We all hugged her good bye and encouraged her to focus on getting better; we'll see her soon.
Colleen has been my colleague since the beginning of my career when I purchased the practice she was employed by.
She has always been the first one to arrive in the morning to prepare for the day's patients, prepare charts and to set up the equipment, and she has always been the last one to leave at the end of the day.
After the sale of my practice, Colleen accompanied me to our new employer and continued to be my ophthalmic technician. She has endured so much from me, which includes being my guinea pig when I needed to practice with new equipment or procedures. New Phoropter:
New Visual Field:
When patients arrive, she always remembers their names and their histories. Additionally, she anticipates my needs and what's in the best interest of our patients. She has always been my most valued colleague and with her by my side, she makes me a better doctor. I use to joke with her the if she ever left for another place to work, I'd quit; however I never imagined such an unfortunate situation would happen for her. We both recently took up acrylic painting and have had so much fun and excitement comparing works. I am truly lost without her; she's like a sister to me. She has always been healthy, energetic, positive and it feels like the wind has been knocked out of us all.
She recently text me how she's doing: "Hey Doc! Been thinking about you! Hope all is going ok at work... I'd rather be there with you! I go on Tue the 2d for gamma knife. So if they find any new lesions, they'll zap them right away. Oncologist ordered additional mutation tests, but no results back yet. Dr Miller seems to be good. Once the mutation results come in, he will figure his plan of action, chemo, radiation or pills. We went over the possible meds, side effects, etc. If they can find the lung mass, they may schedule lung sx for that. so far I haven't fallen in a black hole and trying to keep a positive attitude Just wanted you to know I miss you! I'm not ready to paint, just want to rest and get better! Have a good afternoon! "
We all are praying for a complete recovery without the worry of any financial burdens placed on her and her family; She deserves this! Colleen is a confident, soft-spoken Army Veteran and I have always been able to place my complete trust in her ability to care for our patients. I don't know of anyone else I would rather help raise funds for than Colleen Bartlett.
I miss her, the patients miss her, and my heart goes out to her family. She has two beautiful daughters whom she is so proud of along with her loving husband Freddy who recently retired. I hope these photos over that past 14 years convey the warmth, dignity, and beauty that this wonderful woman possesses and I pray for her speedy recovery because the world is a much better place withher. Sincerely,
Jeanne I. Ruff, OD
Organizer and beneficiary
Jeanne Ivy Ruff
Organizer
Williamsburg, VA
Colleen Bartlett
Beneficiary