Aspie Road

For Shelly

UPDATE: We have closed this fundraiser.  Thank you everyone for your donation, prayers, and support. We were able to raise $1420.00 together! I know it will be helpful to Shelly’s family. Thanks again.

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My cousin, who has been battling cancer for almost 2 years, passed away this morning.  It has been two years of chemo, radiation, surgery and therapy – met full force with her trademark upbeat attitude. Everyone who knows Shelly knows that smile, that laugh.

If you don’t know Shelly, you can see some of it here in the interview she did with the local KDLT news just last year.  Click on the image below and it will bring you to their site.

Shelly leaves behind her 12 year old daughter, Maddie, who is just a few months older than my son Collin.  It breaks my heart to hear of Maddie crawling into bed with her mom during her last days of life and whispering, “I wish I could go with you.” How I wish those we love never had to leave us… especially a momma from her baby.

Shelly’s mom, Barb, has been living with Shelly and caring for Maddie. She is 74 years old and on a very limited income.  Shelly’s sister Rhonda has moved to Sioux Falls to help raise Maddie and is still finding her footing in a new town, a new life.

Unfortunately, along with loss and grieving comes the stress of finances. But if you will help me, I hope to take at least some of the burden off of this family in crisis.

With the donated money we hope to:

• help pay funeral costs
• help keep up with house payments
• help pay for grief counseling for Maddie, if needed
• help cover any hospital bills that come up

Also, feel free to share with friends and family and spread the love – email, Tweet, share on Facebook. Thoughts and prayers are greatly encouraged.  I want them to stop in their moment of grief and know that they are loved and cared for.