Her Big Sister Has Always Been A Meaningful Part Of Her Life And Now That Her Sister Has Just A Few Months Left To Live, She Wants To Be The One To Care For Her
Chicago, Illinois. Stephenie Nurmi’s big sister Jen has always been a meaningful part of her life and has always been there for her in her time of need.
Sadly, Jen was diagnosed with advanced, stage 4 breast cancer, and this fall, it seemed it was not spreading any further.
“Her numbers were good and the chemo was working,” Stephenie explained on a GoFundMe page.
“My family had hope. Then, a month later, the chemo stopped working and everything went downhill. We started to fear that the worst was coming, but it was hard to understand the severity and immediacy of the situation when she was still so vibrant.”
“We thought there would still be trials and treatments. We thought there would still be a couple of years left.”
15 days ago, Jen wound up in the Emergency Room, where she had to undergo an emergency MRI.
She was not able to recall how old her children were, and she also wasn’t able to walk. Stephenie quickly found a flight from where she lives in Chicago to Connecticut so she could be by her big sister’s side.
GoFundMe; pictured above is Stephenie with her big sister Jen
Just days after that scare, Stephenie and her family received the news that Jen’s cancer had spread into her spinal fluid and her brain.
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Home hospice care was the only option given for Jen.
“At most, she has 6 months left to live and the time could be much shorter,” Stephenie said. “She will require 24-hour care with two helpers at all times.”
“Her health has deteriorated rapidly before our eyes and even if she lives for 6 months, we don’t know how long we’ll be able to communicate with her the way we always have.”
“I would like to be one of her caretakers so that I can hold onto these last precious moments, while also providing support to my 9-year-old niece and 5-year-old nephew who are about to have their hearts broken.”
“This will be the hardest thing I have ever done. When she passes, I want to be here for my parents when they lose their oldest daughter.”
Stephenie says that she won’t be able to pick up and move across several states to care for Jen unless she gets some much-needed help.
She needs to immediately come up with $4,000 to pay for breaking the lease on her place, relocating to Connecticut, and finding a new place to live as fast as she can.
“Anything would be appreciated to help my family get through this time and help me be there for my big sister as she was there for me my entire life,” Stephenie continued.
If you would like to donate to help Stephenie be there for her big sister Jen, you can do that here.
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