Help Susan Gaskins Clevenger Beat Breast Cancer

Susan's battle with breast cancer started with a diagnosis in April. Her treatment plan includes a total of 20 weeks of chemotherapy, followed by a mastectomy and radiation. And of course, then comes the long recovery and the fervent hope that all these treatments do their job. Susan's prognosis is still good, her doctor is confident she will beat this.

We (Susan's extended family) didn't sponsor this effort because Susan and Kyle asked for at. (They haven't.) They're focused on raising their 2 year-old son, Robert, working, and on finding whatever normalcy they can during this trying period.

Rather, we decided to kick-off this effort because so many friends and family have asked how they can help.

Of course, we understand and deeply appreciate everyone's sympathy and desire to help. And we understand how hard it can be to help when we don't live in the same community. Some of us live near enough to swing by with a meal, or offer to help with Robert or the pets. But most of Susan's and Kyle's friends and family don't live close enough for that. And even for those of us nearby, it's hard to know exactly what to do, or offer, and when.

So we hope this makes helping easy. It will also give Susan and Kyle the flexibility to use the funds for whatever might be most important to them at the time. That might be meals or child care. Or it might be help with all the medical co-pays and insurance deductibles that will span this long treatment period. Or it might turn into a little less work, and more time-off for Susan and Kyle, so they can enjoy some less stressful time with Robert.

And of course, we want to thank all of you for your concern, prayers, and best wishes for Susan and her family during this trying time.