…it’s time to help a friend…
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Pictured is the core group of the ECMFF. Back left to right: Elaine Beeman (sister) Krissy Downey (daughter) Emma McEvoy (niece) Ena Barrett, Ashley Scudder (daughter); front row from left: Brittany Amos (daughter) Haylee McEvoy (great-niece) and Wesley Amos (grandson).
What began as a routine checkup at the doctor turned out to be anything but routine when Ena Barrett of Holton got the results.
Ena’s mother, Emma Miller, passed away from colon cancer, so Ena was vigilant about getting her screenings. She told the Osgood Journal she went in June, got the screening where the medical team found a mass. From there she was told she would need about 12 inches of her colon removed, but from a previous scan they thought afterwards she would be cancer free. That was not the case. Ena would soon learn the cancer was stage 4 and had spread to the lining of her abdomen. They told her it was treatable, but not curable.
It was a blow. Ena said she would soon learn more. The cancer has spread further and is in lymph nodes in her neck and chest area. It is still considered colon cancer, but the specific name is Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma, according to family members. Ena will begin a six-month course of chemo on September 17, followed by maintenance treatments.
The Emma Cunningham Miller Faith Foundation was begun when Ena’s mother was going through her cancer. This has helped not only Mrs. Miller, but numerous others since its inception. Now, it is time to help one of their own.
Ena has been a hard worker, having worked in a factory (including overtime) right up until her diagnosis. Since then, she has had a surgery and been out of work and will not return. Multiple fundraisers are ongoing for Ena and her family as she struggles through this. “We’ve hosted other fundraisers for similar situations for other families in the Ripley County Community, we have given an annual donation to the North Vernon Indiana Davita dialysis location where Emma took treatment, we also donate gifts at Christmas,” noted Emma McEvoy, niece of Ena.
The current fundraisers for Ena are listed on the Facebook page EmmaCumminghamMillerFaithFoundation. They are also accepting monetary donations through their Venmo account @ECMFF donations. A Chili Supper will be held November 2 at the Holton Community Building with raffles, silent auctions, and a cake walk. Donations for the Chili Supper are needed and appreciated.
In the meantime, family members are taking Ena on what they call a “last hoo-rah” before her chemo begins. They are going to Alabama where they are staying at the B&B of Facebook famous Brenda Gantt.
Ena says throughout it all her faith still holds. “I told the doctor the Bible talks about if you have faith as big as a mustard seed , it can move a mountain.” She patted her abdomen area and said, “I’ve got that kind of faith to have this mountain removed.” She smiles through the unknown and says she’ll trust God for the future.
