ARLINGTON — As 32-year-old Nicole Thompson faces Stage 4 cancer, her mother, Melinda Stewart, explained how Nicole’s illness has impacted the whole family.
“She has no burial fund, and no college fund for her ten-year-old daughter,” Stewart said. “She took pride in being a hard worker all her life, but now she can’t work, so she has no income.”
Thompson was diagnosed with colon cancer last November, just months after moving to Spokane. The illness forced her to move back home to Arlington, and Stewart now has to focus on caring for her daughter.
“She doesn’t get paid any travel expenses for going to Swedish Hospital in Seattle,” Stewart said, noting that parking alone costs Thompson $20 a day, and that she goes twice a week. “My boyfriend and I used to split our expenses right down the middle, but he has to carry us now. I’ve used up all my vacation days.”
Stewart lamented that doctors weren’t able to detect Thompson’s cancer sooner, since it had already metastasized to her liver by the time she started receiving treatment.
“If there’s any lesson I want people to learn from this, it’s not to be ashamed to talk about this, to your doctor or your family,” Stewart said. “You should be concerned when your body isn’t functioning properly.”
Stewart credited friends and other family members with helping them get through this, but emphasized the pressing degree of need that remains even with such support.
“The silver lining is that this situation has allowed us to repair some of our relationships,” Stewart said. “You don’t realize the magnitude of how much you can count on your loved ones until you truly need them. Without the support of my own seventy-two-year-old mother, I don’t think I could put one foot in front of the other.”
Following the family’s silent auction fundraiser April 18, they’re inviting the community to a “Bar, Beer & Bands” fundraiser From 4-11 p.m. Saturday, May 2, at 14129 Club Way, Arlington.
A $25 donation provides a mug of beer or a glass of wine, while chili and cornbread costs $5. Admission is limited to those 21 and older, and IDs are required.
