What would you pay?
What would you pay for more time with your loved ones?
We met Laura and her husband Ed two years ago April at UCSF Medical Center. She and my Bill were waiting for CT Scans to determine if they had pancreatic cancer. Both did; both were Stage IV.
Laura, now in her late 50s, spent the last 20 years as a teacher in service to children, teaching 8th grade math. (And if you’ve ever spent time with a group of hormonal 13 year-olds, then you know how challenging that can be!) She and Ed (also a teacher) live comfortably but both continue to work because they need to. They are so well thought of in their community that, when Laura was initially diagnosed, friends and neighbors threw a “Prom” on their behalf to raise money for the first two years of Laura’s care.
What I love most about Laura is her laugh (and you would too), which she uses often. Secondly, I love her determination. Up until six months ago she kept up her routine of running. Even today she is walking–to stay in shape and ahead of this cancer.
This is my personal plea to you on behalf of Laura and Ed whom we have grown to love as we’ve travelled parallel paths since that first fateful meeting.
As most of you know, my partner Bill was dying in January when he summoned all his strength to get on a plane to go to The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment in Skokie, IL. They saved his life and regained control over the cancer that was killing him.
Now it’s Laura’s turn to be saved. Thankfully, she has good insurance. But she and Ed cannot afford the price of the nutritional supplements and infusions associated with her care (even with the discount being given by the Block Center), or the cost of travelling from her home in Ferndale, CA to Skokie for this treatment that could indefinitely prolong her life.
Laura’s goals are simple. She wants more time with Ed, she wants more time with her son and daughter and she wants to meet her grandchildren, yet to be conceived (but in the planning stages). When I met her, her goal was to attend her daughter’s wedding in May of 2012 and she surpassed that by over a year.
Let’s be clear. There is not yet a cure for pancreatic cancer. But for some it can be treated as a chronic disease, much like diabetes, prolonging one’s life for many years—maybe long enough for the cure to be found. That is what The Block Center tells us is possible. It is what I am wishing for Bill and certainly what we are wishing for our dear friend Laura.
Will you help? Think about what you would pay for more time with your own loved ones. The Block Center has already given me 6 more months with Bill and we are on a path toward more years together. Even though you don’t know Laura, will you trust me when I tell you your donation would be money well spent?
Life is not fair and never will be. But it breaks my heart to see that the only reason Bill can receive this treatment and Laura cannot is because they chose different career paths. Bill made a lot of money; Laura was a teacher. (And yes, we are donating.)
Our teachers sacrifice so much. This is an opportunity to give some of that back to two of these amazing public servants.
Goal: $16,800 for 6 months of related medical expenses
To donate using a credit card or PayPal, click on the link below: Click Here
To donate by check, please make it out to:
Laura Grant Cancer Fund
PO Box 1313 Ferndale Ca. 95536
We are also looking for the following non-cash donations:
Airline Tickets for Southwest, American, or America West
Hilton Hotel Points (the Hampton Inn, a Hilton property, is across the street from The Block Center).
Every donation counts so please do not think yours would be too small. As Margaret Mead, the cultural anthropologist is famous for saying, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Laura and Ed have changed the world through their teaching. Will you help change theirs?
