The Garage Crew

We have a group of the most extraordinary friends, what is extraordinary about these friends you may ask?  Read on.

My husband was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer in September this after not feeling well most of the summer but not going to the doctor.  He has been diagnosed with Granular Cell Astrocytoma and has been given a few months to two years to live.  He is/was a 100% commission salesperson, so when not doing his job at 100% because of not feeling well, he was already not making much money, and summer is just plain bad to begin with every year.  I have a part time job, and together we have four kids.

After being diagnosed and having a brain biopsy he was put on disability and radiation treatments began.

We already knew that our friends were exceptional just because they are AWESOME.  However a get together was planned and we just thought it was a backyard BBQ get together type thing.  Our group of friends, about 6ish families affectionately known as "the Garage Crew", presented us with a $275 Meijer gift card.  We were shocked and awed of course, and I can't even tell you at the time how much it helped, it bought us groceries for a few weeks when things were getting REALLY tight.  Those same friends organized a pop can drive at all the local Jr. league football games, and just before Thanksgiving presented us with nearly $500 from that which again helped tremendously, food, gas, clothing, Christmas shopping, AMAZING.  They also did a bake sale and had a donation jar at a craft show in November, and just last weekend presented us with over $300 from that!  Did I mentioned that these folks are AMAZING!

When you think about the world today, when you hear about all the shootings, the vandalism, the crime in general, people stealing from others, people hurting others.  Think about this story and know there are still a LOT of good-no-AMAZING people out there too.  Our friends aren't independently wealthy, they are not made of money, this wasn't done without sacrifice on their part. Without this AMAZING group of friends my family would be in a world of hurt, there wouldn't be Christmas, there wouldn't be school clothes, there wouldn't be food, I don't know how I would have paid the rent, my job isn't enough.  My husband's disability is just about to kick in the DAY AFTER Christmas, we were left to drift on what commissions he had coming when he was taken off work.  He had 8 weeks of commission, it wasn't enough to pay everything that needs to be paid each month.  Thanks to all of our amazing friends we made it through the 8 weeks, our kids have Christmas, and enough clothes/shoes, we had enough to eat, we could pay the bills and know that we are loved.

I don't want to discount the others who've helped, so many people have done amazing things for us in this last 8 weeks, but our "Crew" is just so over the top amazing I have to point them out first.  "Thank you" just doesn't seem like enough to express all the gratitude and love we feel for them.  We are so blessed and lucky to have this AMAZING Garage Crew of friends.  Thank you.