Help Cathy Kick Cancer

Hi there,

My mother, Cathy Loitsch, was diagnosed on August 24th with colorectal cancer. Since then she has had blood work, CT, MRI, appts with surgeon and 5 weeks ago, surgery to remove the rectum and part of the colon. She is home and healing.

Surgery has been difficult to recover from getting used to a temporary ilostomy bag and regaining energy.

November 7th proved to be a very difficult day as we learned that what everyone had thought was early detection and would only require surgery to overcome - had actually already spread to 6 of 20 tested lymph nodes. An optimistic stage 1 quickly changed to a concerning stage 3 and she is now facing 6 to 9 months off work with limited income of unemployment (for however long that may tie them over) as she goes through both radiation and chemotherapy.

Additionally, Randy - her husband - is also going to be off work for a chunk of time in the spring for a severely torn rotator cuff that requires immediate surgery which will further add pressure to the finances.

Randy and Cathy are both still working full time and not prepared for early retirement. They have 2 beautiful granddaughters they dote on and look forward to watching grow up and a wedding to look forward to in June.

We all know a positive mindset and stress management is key to recovery. We are trying to ensure that Mom can recover stress free - without the crippling stress of wondering how to pay bills with insufficient or non existent income, and while we'd personally help them in a heartbeat - life is too expensive these days and we aren't capable.

So we're asking many hands to make light work and help us get our Mother through the difficult months to come, with as little worry as possible.

Mom has been that person that always helps, that puts herself out there for her friends, a person in need and even the community as a whole as a member of the local Kinette Club for the last few decades.

It's simply not fair this nasty disease continues to touch so many incredible lives.

Thank you in advance for your consideration, your warm wishes and your help.

Amanda

on behalf of the Loitsch Family.