A Simple Plea

This is our friend Debbie Bendorf.  We met on a baseball field in 2006.  She and her husband Pete are good people.

Debbie and I were newbie baseball moms going to practices and games with the desire for our sons to be the superstars of the team or at least not be the ones picking flowers in the outfield.  We were just regular Moms, wanting the best for our sons; dreaming of many more years of friendship between our boys and between ourselves.  But what I didn’t know at the time was that it wasn’t going to be our sons who were the superstars, SHE was going to be the superstar.

While pregnant with her third child, Debbie began having issues with her right shoulder.  Right after Nick was born, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and began the fight of her life.  With each new hurdle placed in front of her, she always kept a smile on her face and a fight in her heart.  She continuously came to any sporting event with a great story about her three boys (well four if you are counting Pete) and an infectious smile that lit up the gym, field or playground.  In fact, people who didn’t know her wouldn’t ever believe she had cancer.

As time progressed so did her cancer and now, after five and a half years,  it has unfortunately taken over her body.  With each round of chemo her body is shutting down and the side effects more debilitating.  On Thursday, January 31^st with the support of her amazing husband and family, she made the decision to stop chemotherapy and go into Hospice care.

And this is where life is very unfair.  It’s unfair that she is only 38 years old, only 38 and struggling with what most people take for granted (walking up the stairs, making a meal for her family or simply taking a breath on her own)! 

She is a mother of three amazing boys (Jake, Zach and Nick) who, like any mother, has dreams of seeing her children accomplish all the great things in life she has dreamed for them since birth. (Seeing them hit their first home run, graduating high school and growing into mature men who call their Moms every Sunday!).

She is an amazing friend who can brighten your day no matter your mood or situation. She is the friend who always remembers when your birthday is, the friend who always remembers what your favorite drink is and the friend who loves to talk trashy reality TV.  Life is just so unfair.

So, this leads me to the purpose of this site.  The reality is cancer is evil and so are its financial effects on a family.  After Jake was born, Debbie made the choice to leave teaching and to stay home and raise one boy, then two, then three all the while Pete was working as a public school teacher and football coach.  They are an amazing family of five, supported by a public school educator, living in Northern Virginia, going through a very difficult time, and we can only imagine the financial pressures.  We want to help and we want you to help us.  We are simply asking for a donation to assist their family with all the things we can’t think of that they might need. If you don’t feel like donating but want to help in another way please contact me directly (fcfurr@gmail.com), but we believe every dollar will help them support each other and provide a little breathing room as they go through this difficult time. 

Thank you once again for helping and keeping Debbie and her family in your thoughts and prayers.  Your kindness and generosity is appreciated beyond words. 

Humbly,

Fran Furr
A friend who is going to miss her friend