A Cause to Support – One Mom in need

One of the most poignant things I remember about my mother, and about the years she fought against Breast Cancer, was her tenacity to hold on, to fight. She didn’t do it because of herself, but because she wanted to be there for her kids.

She hated that she might not be there for so many of those moments every mother dreams of … their child’s graduation, marriage, first child. Tragically, my mother held on until her body was just too tired and overrun to fight any longer, and she passed away the morning after my sister’s high school graduation. She held on for one more moment. Because in the end she wasn’t just one Cancer patient, she was a mom. And that’s what moms do.

This week, I bring a cause to you that has had me reliving moments from my own teenage years, the cause for another mom fighting Cancer, a mom determined to do the best she can for her own girls. She is defying her Cancer diagnosis, not because she is *first* a Cancer patient, but because she, too, is first a mother.

This week I introduce you to Dani Dawn, mother of two amazing girls and wife to a special man, and a remarkable, giving, and humble woman I feel very lucky to have had the chance to get to know. Another blogger last week named Dani her “Hero of the Week,” and I think the title is apt. As I have patiently worked to explore different causes over the last month, Dani has been in the background, supportive and encouraging.

When Dani finally broke and reached out to her readers and other bloggers on her site, My Corner of the Pond, it wasn’t a long, drawn-out plea for help, it was a humble thanks for reading her post, her rant on life. Her PayPal button is innocuous against the vibrancy of her life, as she lays it out on the pages of her blog.

Cause | Who is this mommy?

This is a woman fighting a rare form of neuroendocrine Cancer, which affects her in too many large and small ways on a daily basis to list. Her little girl, whom she calls PA in her blog, has ASD. In her own words, from Caryn Haluska’s “Living with Logan” Blog, here is Dani’s situation, explained:

“While I was dealing with my PA’s issues, I had become sick once again. I went through more testing and they told me my cancer had metastasized but they cannot find where it is. I have what they call Carcinoid Syndrome. A very debilitating illness is very hard to treat. My cancer is considered incurable and we now it is a waiting game. Right now, the tumors are too small for them to see. There is no way of telling how many there are either. The biggest drawback to this is traditional chemotherapy and radiation will not work for this cancer. It is truly complicated.

At this point, I am starting my fight with my insurance company to see one of three specialists in the country. Because this is so rare, only a few doctors are able to treat this effectively and my health plan does not have any specialist in plan. The three specialists are also, far from where I live so I have to travel there. If I can get my health ins. To send me I still have to get there & pay for lodging & food. Then there is the fact I have to take my 3 yr. old with me which is an added cost. This will take a while but I am a very determined person and I refuse to give up and need to be around for my husband and both my girls.” – Dani Dawn, in her own words, as told to Caryn Haluska in this post.

This is a case of one family who could really use your help today, which is why I am electing Dani Dawn and her family my Cause of the Week for this week. While I included a limit of $500 on the Chip In widget along the sidebar, I will increase this and leave it up if those who are willing to help will get involved and do so.

This young woman is dealing with an incurable form of Cancer on top of being a wife and mother and they are a family in desperate need of help. All money donated to the “Helping One Mommy” Chip In will go directly to Dani through a PayPal donation. Anything above and beyond the $500 can only help this family as she struggles to find  a way to pay for her own medical treatment along with the regular day-to-day expenses of living, not to mention having a child with special needs as well.

Could you give up coffee for a day, a week? Maybe make dinner one night instead of eating out? Is there any way you can help this mother and her family during an already stressful and emotional time? She doesn’t like to ask for herself, but I want to ask for her. Because I know this is a community of people who care.

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Katrina Moody

Graphic Designer, Wordpress Addict, Blogger at Kat's Media & More

I'm a special needs parent before just about everything else in life, but also a passionate advocate for my three boys and husband, who all have a bit of awesomeness about them. Awesomeness = Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome, Autism, Epilepsy, Dyslexia, Cerebral Palsy, and more. It all adds up to some awesome kids and an amazing family.

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