Skyway Man Seeks Funding To Bring Cancer Stricken Mother Home

What would you do if a loved one fell ill and was unable to afford the cost of cancer treatment? And what if you had no money to help them yourself?

One Skyway man recently found himself in that situation and decided to reach out to his community for help through an emergency fundraiser page on GiveForward.com, a website founded on the premise of helping others raise money for “the people and causes that need it most.”

Justin Renquist has little means to help his mother, Kathryn North, with her recent diagnosis of late-stage lung, pancreatic and stomach cancer, but he’s determined to bring her to his home in Skyway and act as her caregiver.

“I am currently on a limited income, and my mom is of very meager means, with only a few hundred dollars per month of social security income,” he wrote in a blog post.

He’s working with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle and researched the amount of medical costs that will be covered through his mother’s Medicare — which will pay for about 80 percent of treatment and care, he wrote.

Renquist hopes to raise $7,000 through the web page to help cover medical costs, outpatient cancer treatments, a wheelchair and a wig.

North remains in a hospital in Knoxville, Tenn., where Renquist will join her in a few days thanks to a loan from friends to cover the cost of a plane ticket. They will likely receive more information about North’s condition and future treatments by the end of this week. 

“We appreciate ANY donation you can make to help,” Renquist wrote.

As of Wednesday morning, North’s GiveForward page has raised $925. 

“I want to thank each person who has so graciously donated to my mom's cancer fund here, and also to those who have been so kind and supportive to me and her over the past few difficult days.

We are going to fight this thing as hard as we can!”

**Click here for updates on North's condition and to donate to her emergency cancer fund.**