Cathy Guthrie, a 39-year-old mother of five, was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in September 2012, the same month that her mother died. Cathy received a double mastectomy four months later. Cathy and her family live in Cecil County, 45 minutes away from Union Hospital, where she was receiving treatment. Susan Dewitt, the same nurse coordinator who worked with Helen Wright, arranged for The Red Devils to provide Cathy with gift cards to help pay for gas and Christmas presents the year she was diagnosed.
“The gift cards were phenomenal,” Cathy says. “It was like a sigh of a relief—one less thing to worry about. Being able to provide some stuff for the kids just gave us a sense of normalcy.” The Red Devils also funded a weekend camping trip for Cathy’s family so the kids could enjoy some fun after their mom’s recovery.
During the month Cathy was recovering from her mastectomy, she received weekly meals from Moveable Feast and cleaning help from Merry Maids. “There’s nothing like having a clean floor!” Cathy says, and adds that their empathy for her situation “Just really made my day.”
In addition to the services The Red Devils provided, Cathy also appreciates the emotional support she received. “It’s not just monetary things or physical things—it’s the emotional support that you knew was there. Whether or not it was in your face, you knew it was there.”
