All tips given the month of June will be donated to 46 year old Brandye Patterson of St. Marys. She is married to Shane, and they are parents to 7 children ages 10–24.
Brandye was diagnosed with Philadelphia positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the summer of 2022. This type of leukemia is typically found in young children and young adults, and is rarely seen in older adults which makes the path to a cure very difficult. Part of Brandye’s treatment plan involved a new medical trial, which consisted of four inpatient admissions for intensive immunotherapy. The first stay was for 9 days, and the remaining three stays were for seven days each. She then traveled to The James in Columbus every 48 hours for treatment bag changes and lab draws for a month. Brandye was unable to drive at this time, due to the side effects of her treatment. Following this course of treatment Brandye requires spinal treatments, where they use an epidural to administer chemo directly into her cerebral spinal fluid. This treatment is used to help protect her central nervous system from the leukemia cells and will be ongoing. In addition, she has had 12 lumbar punctures to see if the leukemia has spread. She also has a transplant team in Columbus for when she will need a bone marrow transplant. When this occurs, she will have a lengthy hospital stay because—although she is currently in remission—she has been told it is not a question of IF her cancer will return, but WHEN.
Her husband Shane is a special education teacher and football coach, and Brandye is a school secretary at St. Marys Schools. Before she became ill, Brandye worked a second job to help make ends meet and provide for her family’s needs. Brandy’s medical expenses have continued to rise due to her many treatments, hospital stays, and numerous ambulance rides to The James. She has recently returned to a second job to help with these expenses, despite her doctor’s advice to wait a year before doing so. The Patterson’s have been very involved in their community, school, and church. “There is nothing to be mad or sad about,” Brandye says. She simply sees this as a service God has asked her to do. She said that she and her family have seen amazing things happen since she was diagnosed with cancer. When things get really hard, Brandye sits down and has a chat with Jesus, asking Him to help her through the difficulty and give her His peace.
Let us keep the Patterson family in our daily prayers. Your generous tip will help cover their ongoing medical bills. Thank you and God bless!
June 2023
