When you are on a journey and you’re only realization is that life is going to change, the only thought is that of moving forward and not giving up. Many details begin to blur together. Looking from the inside you don’t always realize that you need help. My family fortunately has a great support system, not only within the family but our friends and neighbors within the Mahopac community.
When my wife Laurie was diagnosed with brain cancer, back in 2012, our lives changed. Going through those changes brought an exceptional amount of emotions and concerns. My wife and I are traditional, in that we believe in God and practice our faith. Family comes first. With all the crazy schedules—work , school, sports, drama and other activities in this fast paced world we all live in. We do our best to always have dinner together almost every night and family movie night on Fridays. You can imagine how long it takes to agree on a movie with five children. We would not have it any other way.
Why I’m telling you all of this is because Community Cares was a vital part of my family’s care, recovery and support that we could not have been without. You would never think how much meaning a meal brought to you means. Or the cleaning services that were offered and performed with such care, sensitivity and compassion towards my wife and family. With a family of seven we don’t go out to eat that often. Community Cares brought meals to us. My children were always excited for Wednesday night. The dinners were always delicious and the amazing volunteers always brought smiles.
When they say it takes a community to raise a child, I say it take Community Cares to help not only that child, but the entire family.
The hardest part of this entire journey for me was letting go and letting help in. Thank you Community Cares for everything you did.
-Tom
