Michigan parents who are both battling cancer are hoping for a miracle and on Friday night, the members of the community where the two reside, West Michigan, have rallied support for the couple.
Shelby and Ben Offrink are the proud parents of two young girls: Maeve (3) and Hazel (1). When Soon after Shelby prematurely gave birth to Hazel, doctors discovered the cancer in Shelby: a rare and incurable form of cancer that is localized in her spine. She was soon diagnosed with Stage IV glioblastoma. In January, after rounds of chemo and radiation, Shelby was told that her cancer had spread and now she had three more new tumors, this time in her brain.
While Shelby was receiving her devastating news, Ben was receiving his: his cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, had returned for a third time. Ben is a devoted dad, who loves being a stay-at-home dad, taking care of and educating the couple’s young daughters.
The Michigan community is now rallying for Ben and Shelby after it was revealed that they were both diagnosed with cancer.
Shelby’s older brother, Jay Tomczak, stated that it was completely unfair for this to have happened. Jay and his brother Luke have helped Ben take care of the children while Shelby was undergoing extensive treatment for her aggressive cancer.
Jay revealed:
I feel a lot of their pain. As a brother it has been a very difficult thing to absorb. I think one of the things that has made it possible for them to get through is the love and support from the family and all the friends.
The Michigan parents who are both battling cancer are a powerful example of human strength and perseverance. Shelby is still going through chemo and radiation, in hopes that her cancer goes into remission, giving her as much time as possible to spend with her family and daughters. Ben, on the other side, found out that his first round of chemotherapy was not effective and that he needs to go through another round before receiving a bone marrow transplant.
When both of them were healthy, Ben was a stay-at-home dad and Shelby worked as an engineer. Because of their illness, neither of them can work and the bills are piling up. Ben and Shelby have received all the help they could get from their friends and family, but if you want to help then you can. Help Shelby and Ben have a fighting chance by donating on the website YouCaring.com
Image Source: YouCaring
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