This article is part of the series “One Moment At A Time” about my family’s journey as we help my mother fight brain cancer. Feel free to subscribe below to receive periodic updates about our journey in your email inbox. Thank you for your continued support during this challenging life moment.
In early December, our mother was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Based on the advice of specialized neurosurgeons and neuro-oncologists at Parkview Medical Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, our mother began an aggressive form of chemo and radiation treatment shortly after her diagnosis.
The outpouring of community support for my mother has been overwhelming but incredible. She has impacted thousands of lives over the years as a teacher and as a friend. We are extremely thankful for all of the love and support that we have received over the past month.
Many people have asked the family what they can do to help our mother. As a way to easily communicate to everyone, we have put together the following list of things that you can do to help support Melanie and her family during this difficult time.
SEND A VIDEO MESSAGE TO MELANIE
We realize many people would love to see Melanie however due to her treatments, we only have brief windows of time throughout the day for meals, appointments and scheduled time with close family and friends. However one of the best ways that our mother can see you is to send her a video message. She has already received many video messages and this brightens her day each time we show her one.
Feel free to say hello to her and share a fun story about the two of you from the past. Or just simply share something that you are doing at the present moment. It doesn’t have to be fancy We most likely won’t be able to send a video reply but she would love to see you saying hello to her!
We realize some of our mother’s friends may not have recorded or even sent a video before. But it’s not that hard. Give it a try and you will surprise yourself. If you want to shoot a video from your phone, just use the camera/video app on your smartphone to record a short video of yourself. Then you should have the option to send this video through Facebook. Find me on Facebook (click here for my page ThereIsCory), send a message to ThereIsCory and attach your video to a message. We will share all of the videos with her. If you would like to email the video, please send it to cory@thereiscory.com.
TIPS FOR YOUR VIDEO TO MEL
- Share a funny story about the two of you
- Share the story of how you met our mother
- If you have never met our mother, share a story or topic that you have in common with her
- Share uplifting words of inspiration
- Simply say hello
SEND A CARD WITH PHOTOS INCLUDED
Our mother has been so thankful for receiving beautiful cards over the past month. Each day we sit down with her and open the cards with her. While Melanie can still read, her short term memory has been impacted by the tumor making it difficult for her to have the patience to read long messages. We have learned that it is easier for her to relate to more visual items like photos.
Instead of writing a lengthy note with your card, include a photo of you with her from the past or of your family. This will trigger her long term memory and will make it a better experience for her overall. Feel free to include a short note referencing the photo and/or well wishes that we can read to her while she looks at your photo(s).
Send all cards to my mother’s address:
Melanie Sutter
PO Box 951
Fremont, IN 46737
While Melanie has an affinity for flowers and flowers are extremely thoughtful to send, it is very difficult to receive flowers to her rural home. And while our mother will love the flowers for a very brief moment, we have learned that they go unnoticed due to her medical situation. We feel it is best to save your money on flowers and consider another option to help our mother.
DONATE TO FUND NUTRITION AND FUEL FOR APPOINTMENTS
Many people have asked to send gift cards to help support the increased cost of fuel for transportation to and from appointments as well as the increased costs of groceries that we have incurred for her keto meal planning and needed supplements to help her beat cancer. In lieu of gift cards, we have created a website to make it easier for those that wish to contribute to Melanie’s situation.
Please CLICK HERE to submit your contribution. We will be able to use your generous donation to help offset the increased costs that we have been incurring.
To spread the word regarding contributions to help my mother fight cancer, feel free to share the donation link (https://www.gofundme.com/DonateForMel) on your social media account.
VISIBLY SHOW YOUR SUPPORT: BUY A “TEAM MEL” T-SHIRT
In partnership with Bill’s Locker Room, Bailey (Osburn) Yahraus has created a beautiful t-shirt that can be purchased to show your support for Melanie. Proceeds from each shirt will go to the family to help offset costs incurred for her recent cancer diagnosis: Transportation to medical appointments, additional medical and personal supplies not covered by insurance and increased food and supplement costs for her holistic treatment program.
Two color options are available: White and Navy. The following image shows the two options available with the front and back views:
The latest order deadline is Sunday, February 10th (11:59pm EST). Once ordered online, all orders will not be processed or delivered until after the order deadline. For those that are not located at Montpelier School, you will have an option to ship the shirt to your address.
CLICK HERE to place your order.
For any questions about the t-shirts (ordering, delivery, bulk orders, etc.), please contact Ryan Jinks at Bill’s Locker Room (419) 636-5661 or by email at bills3@billslockerroom3.com.
CLICK HERE for details on the Montpelier Boys Basketball fundraiser on February 22, 2019, where you will be able to wear your t-shirts to support Melanie.
PREPARE A HEALTHY MEAL
It has been extremely helpful to Melanie and especially to our family to receive prepared meals since nutrition has become an extremely important part of our mother’s treatment program. Healthy meal preparation takes a considerable amount of time compared to quicker, less healthy food options. And it is also becoming more important to prepare a variety of foods accommodate Melanie’s quickly changing taste buds due to the aggressive treatments.
However as you quickly have figured out, understanding what she can and cannot consume has created some difficulty in providing food. For those that are able to and would like to prepare meals, we have outlined the specific nutrition plan that Melanie is following to help you understand what to prepare.
- We are following a strict keto diet that is modified for my mother’s situation. The keto diet has many variations, but when finding recipes, please stick to the strict keto diet with the modifications listed below. Click here for one of our favorite sites to educate yourself about the basics of the keto diet. Make sure you specifically review the foods to avoid.
- Due to Melanie’s cancer type, we have been required to modify the keto diet to eliminate specific “keto approved” foods. Please eliminate the following foods from any meals:
- All cheese and milk. Melanie’s system is very sensitive to dairy causing stomach pain and constipation. Butter and cream is fine.
- Red meat and processed meats. Red meat causes inflammation in the body which aids cancer cells.
- Feed-lot raised meats. Aim to purchase grass fed and/or organic meats. If this is not an option, find the best meat that you can which will be sufficient.
- Please beware of many packaged foods that list “keto-approved” on their packaging. Most of these products have hidden ingredients that are not required to be declared on the label. Analyze the label and its ingredients. You will often see food additives, sugar alcohols or other sweeteners listed.
Click here for one of our favorite recipe sites. You can also google things like “dairy free keto” and “strict keto diet”. Also, click here for a more detailed article about our mother’s nutrition plan.
Please send Cory an email to cory@thereiscory.com if you would like to prepare a meal. In your email, please include what you plan to prepare (recipe link or photo if possible, but not necessary) and what specific day(s) of the week is best for you to prepare the meal. We will work with you to figure out the best way to deliver the meal to my mother.
PRAY & PRAYER CHAINS
Many people have already added our mother to prayer chains at their local place of worship. If you have not done so already, please consider adding her to any prayer chain that may be available. We know that people around the world are currently praying for Melanie and for our family. We are forever grateful for the continued prayers and support.
OTHER THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO
- Feel free to share this link with other people via social media to let others know about this article that may not be following this site.
- If you have other creative ideas that are not listed above, please send Cory an email at cory@thereiscory.com. For example, one of my mother’s teacher colleagues suggested that a group of teachers meet Melanie at Meijer in Angola on the weekends to walk a lap with her for support and encouragement. This was such a creative idea that would not only help us with her holistic treatment program, but it also would be a great way for others to be a part of her journey and have an opportunity to see her.
We can’t thank everyone enough for the outpouring of support for our mother. She is such a special human being that has touched each of us in a special way. We are so proud to call her our mother and friend. Along with your tremendous support, we are doing everything we can to help her through this journey as best we can.
One moment at a time.
I plan to continue to write about this new life journey. It is a tough topic to write about but I feel writing will be a great emotional release for me and could help others along the way going through something similar. If you would like to receive a weekly update, feel free to enter your email and sign up below.
We are keeping your Mom and your entire family in our thoughts and prayers. Having been through this same journey Steve and I both know exactly how you all are feeling and what you deal with every day. Brain cancer takes so much! Be strong as we continue to pray for your Mom’s recovery.