Jeffrey and Susan Drain Memorial Fundraiser

Hello, my name is Carson Drain. My brother, Taylor Drain, and I are fundraising for causes very close to our hearts. 100% of donations will go to causes benefiting Dementia and Cancer of an Unknown Primary research.

Our story below:

In early September 2021, our mother, Susan Drain, was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery related to back pain. It turned out that the pain was caused by a spinal tumor and was just one of many discovered throughout her body. The diagnosis was Cancer of an Unknown Primary, and test after test turned up inconclusive for any identifying markers - this severely limits treatment options. It made no sense; she was in the best physical and mental shape of her life. She had already battled and beat multiple cancers years prior, including melanoma and breast cancer.

Our mom was our dad’s, Jeffrey Drain’s, primary caregiver. 2021 was also the year that our dad was diagnosed with Progressive Dementia. He had physical ailments that, combined with general confusion, caused relatively frequent falls and accidents. He required near constant supervision in his last few months as he wouldn't give up his "gardener and handy-man" lifestyle. If you knew my dad, getting him to do anything he didn't want was a near-impossible feat.

9 days after my mom's spinal surgery, I went to check on my dad in the garage and found him sitting on the floor clutching his head. He had fallen and hit his head but was insisting he was okay. Even the ER said he'd be fine but wanted to keep him for observation due to his age. We received a call that at 4am he had become unresponsive, and a rare condition had caused excessive bleeding in the brain that could not have been predicted. We said goodbye to our dad on September 26th, 2021. He passed peacefully, with all 5 of his children with him - Deborah Gellis, Denise Zrowka, Jeffrey Drain Jr., Taylor, and myself.

Despite beginning chemotherapy, my mom continued to decline. The cancer had spread rapidly throughout her chest and lungs and was causing difficulty breathing. I promise you've never seen a woman more determined to fight to be with her children, even though the odds were against her. On October 27th, we were officially told that there is nothing else that could be done, and my mom made the difficult decision to begin to focus on comfort. On October 30th, 2021 she passed away peacefully after being surrounded by those she loved most.

We are completely heartbroken. Our parents were so full of life and love. We hope this fundraiser will help other families affected by these tragic diagnoses.