Glen Burnie East: Friends host fundraiser for local woman fighting cancer
By AMY LAQUE Correspondent; AMY LAQUE Correspondent | |
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For
"We've been through better times," Steve said.
But these tough times are what inspired helping hands to reach out.
Darlene, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in
The Suggs have been together since they met in junior high. Steve is a retired state trooper, and now works as a detective for the
The Suggs have a son, Steve, 23, and a daughter, Megan, 17. Their mother's fight has been hard on them. Their son helped by building ramps to make the home more accessible. Their daughter, who would like to be a fitness model, turns to exercise to help control the stress.
After enduring several surgeries including reconstruction in
Imaging showed not one but seven tumors on her liver. Two of the tumors are inoperable because they are too close to the portal vein, which meant they'd again resort to chemo and radiation.
If that wasn't enough, Darlene's spine was fractured after turning over in bed -- there is a tumor on her spine, too.
Darlene recently finished radiation, but had recurrent fevers with no known cause. "She'd be in the hospital for a week -- home a week -- back in the hospital," Steve said.
Doctors determined that Darlene had a blood clot in her lung, and she was treated, but Darlene started having severe pain in her abdomen and the fevers returned. She tried to join a clinical test at
Finally, doctors found Darlene had an abscess in her belly, and another blood clot in her leg. "She was treated at Hopkins for a week, and then we switched gears, and now she's under the care of hospice," Steve said.
"Usually that means end-of-life, but she still wants to fight for life," Steve said. "There are some things we still want to try, and insurance covers hospice, but then no outside medical treatment, unless you get out of hospice. So we're not sure what's next."
The shift to hospice has led to a change in focus.
"The goal is to get her quality of life to improve," Steve said. "I don't know if we can beat this -- I mean, we pray for it. For right now, to see her grandson grow, and see her daughter graduate from high school, that's what we want."
The Suggs' friends have seen their struggle, and have stepped up to help.
"Some friends created a group on
"A lot of people we know -- we've been reconnecting. Our friends have been great, reaching out, coming to visit. They want to make sure she knows she means something to them."
Wilson would also like to raise awareness for colorectal cancer in people her age, a cancer that can be curable through early detection. "She had to fight hard for three years and has been through hell," Wilson said of her friend.
Wilson's sister-in-law, who lost her battle with cervical cancer a few years ago, was very saddened by the friends who seemed to fade away during her treatment.
"She told me she appreciated that I didn't walk away when she needed a friend the most," Wilson said. "I took that to heart and vowed to be there for the Suggs no matter what."
"I saw her posts on
Along with other volunteers, the Suggs' friends have organized the Hugs for Suggs benefit from
The event will feature a quarter auction with many items from vendors and donated items such as autographed jerseys and Orioles tickets. There also will be raffles, food and an auction with baskets.
For details, contact Wilson at [email protected] or
Guide dogs and kites
What do guide dogs and kites have in common? This week, you can learn about both at the North County Area library, 1010
- Families can meet and learn about the handling and training of special dogs who help people with special needs At
- Families can hear stories about kites and learn about how they fly at
- Harundale events
Bruster's will donate a portion of the proceeds to the school, which will purchase new items for the 2014-2015 school year.
- The church will host its Presbyterian Women
For details, call
EndIt 5k
The family event is not a race, so it doesn't matter if participants zoom or stroll. Afterward, the church will host a party with kids' activities, special guests and live music. The cost is
For details, visit http://www.endit5k.com/glen-burnie.
To share your news in the 21060 ZIP code, contact
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