The Family of Madalyn & Barry Burnfield

In early February 2023, my wife of 25 years, Madalyn Burnfield, age 54 and mother of 5, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Madalyn has undergone surgical procedures and chemotherapy starting back in February through April of this year, with the sole intent of prolonging her life, since the type of cancer she was diagnosed with has a very high mortality rate. At Stage 4, Madalyn’s prognosis was that she had but a few months of life remaining. Madalyn had gastrointestinal cancer and a tumor in her stomach so large it blocked the entrance and exit from her stomach. In addition, the cancer spread into her abdomen where many large tumors were also present. She could not eat food by mouth and had a chemo main line port surgically installed in her upper chest where she was periodically fed a milk-like substance called “TPN.” The chemo port became infected with staph, which required it to be surgically removed as the infection had spread to her bloodstream. A new chemo port was surgically placed along with a feeding tube in her lower abdomen a few weeks later. The feeding tubes were unsuccessful, and, unfortunately, she has spent much of the last seven weeks in the hospital trying to recover from pneumonia that was caused by the unsuccessful attempts to keep her nourished so she could continue her fight. On May 3rd, 2023, Madalyn was transferred to hospice because her condition over the preceeding weeks rapidly deteriorated.

In August of 2021, we sold practically everything we owned, and I moved Madalyn and our family from rural Oklahoma to Colorado Springs for the sole purpose of providing a better life for our two low-functioning children with Autism. Our daughter, Elle Burnfield, age 16, and our son, William Cross Burnfield, age 10, received very little support from the social services network in Oklahoma and were not progressing. Both children are incontinent and our son does not speak. To make this move, I left a job with a large energy company that had excellent pay, medical benefits and life insurance for our entire family. Once we relocated to Colorado Springs, the cost of living and the lack of affordable benefits forced me to drop the life insurance Madalyn and I had previously been able to carry. On May 6th, Madalyn was transferred back to our home as it was her request to pass away in the company of her family in comfort.

In addition to Madalyn's tragic story, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) back in February about the same time Madalyn was diagnosed with cancer. The past few months have been heartbreaking, knowing that Madalyn had limited time and also that Elle and William, who have very little comprehension of what was taking place, would be left without their mother for the remainder of their lives. With my added condition, and the unkowns that come with it, this has been a devastating time for our family, not knowing the future and care that both of our two young children will recieve.

I am asking for your financial help as I prepare to make funeral and burial arrangements for Madalyn and try to find in-home help for both Elle and William. Any support you can provide would be a blessing to my family. Thank you in advance for your thoughts and generosity in this time of heartbreak.