The Story

I knew what it was before he even told me.  I was at my photography studio in downtown Sterling, IL and had gotten a call from my dad saying he was on his way over and he had something very important to tell me.  I already knew- but I hoped with everything I had that I was wrong. 
"She has a tumor."  My mom had a brain tumor.  Hearing someone actually say the words felt like a had been punched in the stomach.  Hard.
The next week was a whirlwind of trips back and forth to Rockford for test after test after miserable test.  Her surgery was scheduled for June 28th, a little over 2 weeks after finding the tumor.  The surgery lasted just over 5 hours.  The tumor, just over an inch big, had been wrapped around her optic nerve.  She came out of the surgery great.  The surgery was on a Tuesday and she came home on Friday. 
Aside from a bad haircut(!), the only adverse thing to come from the surgery was the loss of her eyesight in one eye.  The surgeon was able to remove almost all of the tumor and is fairly confident that it won't grow back.  Even better, it's not cancerous. 
Although she's doing well, she won't be cleared to go back to work for a few months, and then it may be only part time.  Obviously the financial strain of that alone is immense.  And that's not including medical expenses not covered by insurance and future tests that are expected because of the surgery.
So far, the support from friends and family has been tremendous.  We thank everyone for the support so far and hope to see you at the benefit!