Local D.A.R.E. Officer has rare cancer
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October 8, 2013 |
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Tiffany and Maddy Murray |
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Bonners Ferry Police Corporal Tiffany Murray,
who serves as both the Boundary County D.A.R.E.
Officer and as school resource officer in
Boundary County public schools, was recently
diagnosed with a rare and malignant form of
cancer.
She grew up in Bonners Ferry, the daughter of
law enforcement officers, graduated high school
here, and came back home to carry on a
tradition.
The terrible diagnosis came just three months
after the happiest day in she and husband
Kevin's lives, the birth of their first child in
ten years of marriage; daughter Maddy, born July
15.
 According
to Kevin, a deputy with the Boundary County
Sheriff's Office, Tiffany has been diagnosed
with extra-abdominal aggressive fibroid
fibromatosis in her right shoulder and neck.
According to an article in
OncoLog, "Desmoid tumors are among the
rarest of tumors - they occur in only 2–4 people
per million per year in the United States.
Although desmoids have a benign histologic
appearance and lack the ability to metastasize,
they can invade locally - often aggressively -
and recur repeatedly."
Because of the rarity of this form of cancer and
the extreme complexity of the procedures
involved, very few hospitals offer treatment.
For Tiffany, the nearest facility available is
the University of California, San Francisco, and
will require numerous trips over a prolonged
period of time.
The Murray family will make their first trip to
UCSF to begin her treatments early next week,
which will consist of oft repeated surgeries,
ongoing radiation, chemo and other therapies,
along with long-term monitoring and tests due to
this form of cancer's propensity to recur, even
after the battle is long thought won.
Already, they know the cost of these treatments,
with the added burden of travel, will far exceed
what their health insurance will cover.
To help offset the expenses, Kevin established a
page for his wife on
GiveForward, a website dedicated to helping
families facing catastrophic health care costs
get the financial help they need in time to make
a difference.
It's built on the conviction that until a person
is faced with a terrible circumstance, they have
no reason to understand the need nor the fear
and helplessness, especially of hard-working
people who take justifiable pride in their
ability to take care of themselves.
Until experienced first hand, it's hard to
comprehend the devastation a diagnosis can
deliver in a single moment in time. All you've
worked for and planned for; all your best
effort, all a family has done and earned, is
gone.
All that matters, suddenly, is taking care of a
husband, a wife, a child. It's a moment of
exquisite clarity; you forget dreams and plans
and suddenly recognize the importance of that
person who made the plans and dreams worthwhile.
Give Forward recognizes that only those who have
been there understand; a common phrase is "no
one else should ever have to face this," and
that those who've been helped through the
gauntlet will seldom fail to reach back and lend
a helping hand to someone facing that moment of
clarity for the first time.
To those who know, one thing is obvious. Kevin
and Tiffany are used to giving, not getting.
They are both strong and able and take pride in
serving and giving to the community they are so
much a part of.
One thing they are undoubtedly soon to learn is
that Boundary County is amazing.
Word has undoubtedly gone out already, and plans
are already being whispered as to how to best
help Kevin and Tiffany, neighbors who have long
dedicated themselves to helping us in so many
ways.
It's not likely that a church service in
Boundary County will pass this Sunday without
mention of the Murray family. It's probable that
everyone from the sheriff and police chief to
everyone who serves in both agencies have been
talking about their fellow peace officers and
how to help for hours already.
On Monday, students in Boundary County Schools
will board buses ... and talk about D.A.R.E.
Officer Tiffany. Teachers will be asked how
students can best help; on Tuesday evening, a
special item will likely be added to the school board
agenda in reference to help and appreciate
Police Corporal Tiffany Murray and her family.
The law enforcement community is a small place,
too. There's likely already talk going on
between the officers of the BFPD, the BCSO, ISP,
USCBP, IBHS ... of how to best stand with their
fellow officers in their time of need.
In the small worlds of profession, home and
family, no one is ever alone.
In a fleeting moment of fear for his wife and
all he holds dear, Kevin Murray may have felt
compelled to turn to a website dedicated to
"paying it forward."
It is ever hard to ask for,
expect or accept help, especially to those
dedicated to serving.
The good thing is that it's impossible to deny
help once given.
All they can do then is say "thank you," be
humble ... and pay forward. |
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