Why Wendy-Dyer Avis Needs Us

It’s not an easy story to tell; doctors have told Wendy and her husband Michael, and their three sons - that the last hope for her recovery from mutated leukemia is a bone marrow transplant.

Here’s what is going to happen. Before the procedure, she will endure a week of chemotherapy treatments, and possibly radiation at the hospital.  Then she will have a transplant to essentially wipe out the Chronic Myeloid Leukemia gene and she will have a new immune system.

After the transplant, Wendy will be faced with another critical challenge; she will have to be basically in isolation for months   – unable to risk being around groups of people, because she will not be able to fight off any germs until the new bone marrow securely becomes her own.

• If you know her, then she has helped you out unselfishly at least once; she’s that kind of person.

• If you don’t know her, she would smile when she met you and never forget the meeting, she has a memory like that, and I have seen this over and over.

• I have not heard her complain once about her illness. Not once.  She has been going to work, caring for her family, and participating in her community all the while. We went on vacation together and her spirit was just as I remember it in college – confident, kind, generous and always grounded.

I am creating this campaign to support her during this long period of recovery.  The transplant and the very difficult period of chemotherapy before, and the isolation at home afterward, will be the only chance for Wendy to survive. It’s hard to talk about.

Wendy is unshakable and the truest friend I have ever had.  I cannot imagine she would do any less for me.

Wendy tells me she is a little worried about keeping things afloat over the next year. She knows there are generous, caring people out there and now is the time to show her our generosity by making this campaign successful.

So…here is how your contribution can help:

• Help pay for Medical expenses, the Transplant, prescriptions, Hospitalization and the cost of Premiums.

• Help cover costs for daily living expenses – rent, food, transportation, bills. Wendy will not be able to work for many months and this loss of income creates much of the need for your support.

• Additional home expenses during her recovery. Costs related to special foods, cleaning, and help with pet care as Wendy can do none of this, and they have the need for Michael to continue working as much as he can.

Please pass the word about this drive. If you know Wendy through her family, school and sports with her boys, Girl Scouts, Church, around Narberth and the Main Line, the Community Theatre, if she’s taught your child or helped your child fall in love with reading at the store…well you get the message. She’s not done living and we can help!

Arrangements for donating by check can be made by sending a private message to Wendy-Dyer Avis or Amelia Struthers. 

Venmo contributions accepted: wendy-dyer-avis 

With gratitude for all you are helping to make possible,

Amelia Struthers