Help Cole Combat Cancer

This fundraiser was created to help Cole and Liza Turrittin find financial relief during a family crisis. ▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️ Cole, born and raised in St. Peter, MN always knew he wanted a noisy home. Bold as ever, he set out to win the heart of his high school sweetheart while she was on a date. Liza couldn’t resist his charm and they happily married in 2008 with an amazing celebration in Jamaica. In their twelve years of marriage, Cole and Liza have become loving parents to Andinia (age 10), Viviana (age 8), Eleanora (age 6), Helena (age 4), and Olin (age 1). Liza worked as an LPN at the Mankato Clinic Daniels Health Center in St. Peter for several years until they made the decision becoming a full-time stay at home Mom was best for the family. In May of 2018 Cole graduated top of his class with an MBA from the prestigious Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota thanks to the full family effort. His new role as Production Manager at The Occasions Group, a division of Taylor Corporation, was proving to be an exciting new chapter for the Turrittin Tribe. On April 25th, 2019 Cole learned he had what is called neuroendocrine tumor (NET). It is thought to have started in his pancreas and metastasized to his liver. It is a very rare form of cancer and makes up just 2% of nationally treated cancers. Currently, these tumors lack symptoms in the early stage of the disease which make it difficult to diagnose. Neuroendocrine tumors can originate anywhere within the body, are difficult to detect and can remain undiagnosed for quite some time. They tend to be slow growing, and patients often don’t realize the tumor is present because symptoms are most often mistaken for signs of other ailments. Just 3 weeks worth of medications cost $16,000. Add up all the other medical bills and it’s enough to make your head spin. Needles to say, this is the last thing a happy family with five kids would be saving up for. While in the ICU at Mayo in Rochester, MN the nurses asked Liza what Cole is like. She told them about the day they found out the diagnosis. Liza, heartbroken by the news asked, “why is this happening to us?”. Cole’s humble response was, “I accept its happening to me, because if not, it would happen to someone else and I don’t want that”. For The Turrittin’s, dinner time is always a special moment to talk about the day. Cole always started off by asking the girls something like, “What did you do to help someone today?” or “What did you do today to make the world a better place?” Both examples speak perfectly to Cole’s integrity and spirit. If you talk to anyone that knew Cole they will probably tell you a story about his great sense of humor, the love for his wife, or what a smart man he was. Above all, Cole was full of kindness, patience, and humility. A devoted husband and fun loving dad. The determination to conquer any challenge that ever came his way. Both Cole and Liza will forever be beautiful role models of life, love, and marriage. Cole’s journey with cancer was full of ups and downs until he reunited with his brother, Jesse, on May 19, 2020. Despite going through so much pain many heard him say, “Bad breath still breathing”. Always the optimist in true Cole fashion. As we all think back on special memories with Cole they all of a sudden become treasures that will live with us forever. This online fundraiser was created on Jan 30 and in seven days it reached over $20k. The amount of love that has poured in for this wonderful family is proof of how many lives they have impacted. Please continue to pray, send love, and keep them in your thoughts. Thank you to everyone that has donated, shared this link, mailed letters, dropped off food, and provided support in so many other ways. Above all, thank you for helping someone today. Many have donated solely based on what they have heard about this amazing man. Thank you all. Your beautiful hearts give us more than words can express. Andi, Vivi, Nora, Helena, and Olin will forever know the power of kindness inspired by their courageous dad. TEAM COLE please follow Turrittin7 on Facebook/Instagram