Reed S.

About Reed S.

I am not a caregiver anymore. I was. It was he most eye opening experience of my life. I discovered that I was strong both emotionally and physically. My husband Reed, was diagnosed in 2009 with PC. With no family history or symptoms. He was treated however, his PC was too aggressive and it came back 8 months later in his bones. We tried everything to keep it at bay, nutrition, supplements, exercise, search for non-traditional treatments. But it spread too far and he was paralyzed the last 5 months of his life. I made sure he had the best quality of life he could have. I even got him to fly again in his gyro copter. I used an engine lift to get him out of his wheel chair and he was able to use the stick while his friend did the rudders in the back. He did this twice and it was beautiful. During this time, I took care of everything I could. I got the handicap van, Hospice donated a wheelchair for paraplegics (the traditional wheelchair did not hold him upright), gourmet dinners, and a smile every morning no matter how I felt. I had a part time assistant but for the most part I had to do things that I never thought I would do nor did he. I learned to take care of a wound in his back and thank god he could not feel it, as it would have been terribly painful. The wound was always a reminder of where the cancer was (sacrum) and that it caused this paralysis. It was painful enough for him to be in this situation…he questioned what did he do to deserve this. It broke my heart. The end was very quiet… he didn’t speak much but he did tell me he was lucky to have me and he wanted me to be happy and continue living. We would’ve been married 30 years. I was a widow at 49. Reed was 59 and passed in May 2014. Four months later, I woke up and decided to start a charity fishing tournament…Anglers For The Cure Research and Awareness of Prostate cancer for all MANKIND. It’s in its 4th year and so far I’ve save at 3 lives by solely getting them to have their PSA screenings done. These men never went to doctors, but I kept pushing. Last year, a company call One Lab donated unlimited free PSA Screenings during our event. 57 men lined up and had their PSA screenings done. One of them never went to the doctor. He is 64. He discovered he had prostate cancer. He said I saved his life. Anglers For The Cure donates to Prostate Cancer Foundation and our Local Hospice, and other community charities. Our goal is not to raise money but to save lives even if one from leaving us to early.

Share on: Facebook | Twitter
Read More | Submit your Story