Help Tim Care for Jen and Their Kids

Hello, my name is Colleen Smith and I'm married to Chris Smith. Jennifer Gonzalez-Smith is my sister-in-law, married to Chris's brother, Tim Smith.

For those of you that may not know, Jennifer had a tough battle with breast cancer that she miraculously overcame (after several months of radiation and chemo and a unilateral mastectomy). She fought the fight and won, or so it seemed.

Recently, Jen had a recurrence of her breast cancer in her remaining breast that spread to her lungs, liver, brain, bones, and blood. She also had tumors growing on her ocular nerve that caused her to lose vision in one of her eyes. It's been a tough battle, and for those of you that know Jen, she was up to the fight (yet again). However, this time, the battle has been just too difficult to win. After multiple rounds of radiation on her ocular nerve tumors (an effort to restore her vision) and a round of chemo, things took a turn. Her body has severely weakened, her cognitive state has declined and she rests in bed with Tim all day. All treatment has stopped at this point, and Tim is trying to keep her as comfortable as possible, Jen (in her true fashion) wanted to be home with Tim, her kids, and dogs/cats. Her children are 16, 11, and 7....and her thoughts are constantly about her children and leaving them (and Tim of course). It's literally more than any heart can bear.

Tim has taken a leave from work, and both mother-in-laws are working day and night to balance things with the kids. Every family member is helping when/how they can. But the financial burden is growing and becoming difficult to manage, and will only continue to grow from this point on. At a time like this, money is the last thing on Tim's mind...but as we all know, is necessary (especially when you have kids to care for).

Jennifer is one of the most caring and selfless people I know, who would drop everything to help anyone (especially a stray cat). She has spent most of her life not only supporting and defending her country through the Air Force, but has always (and I mean always) put her family and friends first. She is a devout Catholic, and in times like this we seek faith in God and his plans (as tough as it may be for us to understand).

If you can help the Smith family in any way it would be greatly appreciated (any and all amounts are truly appreciated). Please help me support Jen and her family during this extremely difficult time. Thank you and God bless.