A few weeks ago, you read about my good friend Elizabeth, or as most of us call her, “E”. I wrote that she had suspicious masses on her ovaries, that she was going to have a complete hysterectomy, and that we were praying that it was not cancer.
The bad news is, when they went in to operate, they found cancer.
The wonderful news is, E’s amazing doctor got it ALL. Even though there was also some on her colon. (He got that, too!) Our God is faithful – we asked for no cancer and her doctor was able to remove it all in one surgery. And now, to make sure it stays gone, E is going to start a few months of chemotherapy. Which really sucks, but of course she’s willing to go through it so she can be around for these crazy kiddos:
Turner, 3, Olivia, 5, and Quinn, 3
and this guy…
Steve, 40 (ha ha, sorry Steve!)
So, God has E and her family on a difficult journey, and we don’t know why. But we know that he has E in His hands. We also know what we can do to help. Which is why Emily and I, along with seven other great bloggers, are asking each of you to GimmE Five! That’s right – we’re asking you to give $5 to help the Koproski family during E’s chemo. All gifts will be used for expenses incurred by the Koproski family during E’s months of chemotherapy. Since E is a stay-at-home mom, these expenses will likely include paying for child care, transportation, house cleaning, and grocery shopping but will also likely include many ‘unexpected’ expenses that at this point we cannot imagine, and other things like insurance co-pays, and any adaptive equipment or items that E might need to be comfortable at home. Rest assured that E and Steve are grateful and humbled by this effort and will be the best stewards of your generous gifts.
If you click this beautiful purple button right here (designed by the super-talented Jeremy Loyd of FORGE), you’ll be directed to Emily’s and my PayPal account, which we have set up to collect donations for E.
We promise to make sure all the money goes right to the Koproski’s,(although PayPal does have some fees, to compensate for those you can give $5.50 if you wish!) and we’ve started out this effort by giving $100 ourselves (because we are super-awesome, and super-rich. Or maybe because we wouldn’t ask you to do anything we aren’t willing to do twenty times over). And so, we challenge you to GimmE Five! Just $5. But of course you can give more if you are so led. Give so that E and Steve can afford childcare during E’s chemo, so that Steve can go to work and E can spend her precious energy enjoying her kids and not having to wipe butts and make peanut butter sandwiches. So that she won’t have to worry about getting Olivia to and from school 5 days a week. So that she can purchase anything she may need to be physically comfortable at home while she is fighting this. Or, because it could be you or me in her place.
Ovarian cancer hits close to home with us. E is 38, and the mother of three young children. She is me, she is you. Let’s show her she’s not alone!
Above all, E needs prayer. Prayer for physical healing and strength, but mostly for emotional, mental, and spiritual peace. E trusts God but this is still seriously scary crap. So please pray for her mind and her heart as well as for her body!
And if you can, GimmE Five. What a privilege to be able to be a part of God’s provision for this amazing family during this challenging time. THANK YOU for praying. THANK YOU for caring for my friend. For following her blog, for praying for her family. And THANK YOU for giving!
Don’t forget to check out E’s blog here and the blog her friend Susie has set up here for those who want to help. Let’s do something amazing together!!
My MIL is an ovarian cancer survivor (that had also spread to her colon.)
Will give, but can I mail you a check? I hate paypal. 😉
Also–somewhere I read about housekeepers that clean your house for free if you are undergoing cancer treatment. Can’t come up with the organization’s name though. Time for some googling. 🙂
jenny,
i can get you $5 but i don’t have a paypal account. i know you probably think i live in the stone ages but i had one a while back (early last decade) and it got hacked into and now i just don’t trust it. so can i mail you or someone a check??
cara
What you are doing is amazing. As a daughter in law, I just went down this road with my husbands mom. Thankfully, the cancer is in remission. As a mother, I cried, knowing full well that this may be the future my daughters have in store. One can only pray that they have friends as great as you when the time comes. Our prayers go out to E and her family.
E and her family are in my prayers. I went through this with my dear, sweet sister Brenda, or Lucy as I called her. She had a hysterectomy, but the dr opted to leave an ovary. The cancer started in that ovary and spread all through her. She went home to be with our Lord 6ys this past November. I’ll send you a check or money order, but no paypal. I don’t have an account with them. I’m soooo very glad she is doing so good. Love and God Bless.
Cleaningforareason.org cleans cancer patient houses for free. I think they come out once a month while the patient is undergoing chemo.
Donation made! Thankful for ladies like you that are making a difference and using your blog for such a worthy cause!!!
how much will paypal charge me for making a $5 donation?
They don’t actually charge you any extra, I don’t think. I think they just take .50 cents of your gift as their fee, no matter how much you give. So if you put in $10, they will charge your card exactly $10.
Nina,
Paypal charges me – takes a little less than 50 cents from a $5 donation as fee. You will only be charged the exact amount you choose to donate. Good question!
i really want to give if i can mail it to ya i know what it is like to go though hard times like rhis so if you can please email me a adress i will send it thanks
Tracy knew the name of that organization!! Yippie!
THIS is faith in action. these are the hands of God, answering prayers $5 at a time. Thanks, Jenny & Emily for responding in such a way to Elizabeth’s tangible, real needs during this time in their journey called life. Thanks, Elizabeth, for being humble enough to let them to do this & accept the help they offer. Your honesty on your blog is refreshing and heart-breaking.
many prayers…
Becky
(a friend of Jenny’s from college)
I just cannot imagine. I am happy to donate to help make things easier for E and the family.
Many prayers accompany the donation as well.
Jenny I will send a card and a donation to work with Sam on Friday.
This makes me sad; I’m sorry this has happened to your friend.
Is this common for Americans to have to solicit money when someone is ill? In Norway, we have not experienced this. We would take some food, but financially everything is taken care of when someone has cancer. I’ve also heard that some Americans loose their house because of medical bills, but that is hard for me to believe.
I hope she has a quick recovery.
What a great idea. you are wonderful friends for sure. My friends and I will gladly clean Elizabeth’s house every week. We’re good at it too. Can’t tell that by our own houses, but we are!
I have tried to figure out the volutneer sign up sheet, and keep missing something.
Keep up your good work ladies. We’re the body.
Would love to know how much is raised altogether. Thanks for coordinating! I’m a friend from NYC and have known E for years. So glad you all are coming around E and Steve to meet all their needs! Wish we were there with you.
Love you, girl! Congrats on the success, and thank you for being awesome!
I know of E’s story through a friend and neighbor of mine and it has hit very close to home with me, as I lost my dearest friend (also a mom to 2 young children) to ovarian cancer last year – one month before her 37th birthday. E and her family will continue to be in my prayers as she faces the immense challenges of the upcoming months and years. Thanks for organizing such a concrete way to help someone I’ve never met but feel very much connected to.
i discovered your website i think about 5 years ago, sometimes i am a faithful reader and sometimes i am not (with 4 kids sometimes there is just no time) But, as i was reading Es blog and following links long and behold it landed me right back to you guys. i think it is amazing what you guys are doing for her. I have only known her 2 years now, but she is such a wonderful lady! i posted the link to giveEfive on my facebook after i gave too so hopefully it will help! God is awsome and to see his work being done is so iInspirational to me.