Barbara Crumbley, NC

URGENT!!!
REC'D VIA EMAIL FROM MY DAD, MARVIN ON 5/3/09:

This little girl and her family really need our prayers…Dad

Praying for a miracle
by Knight Chamberlain, Staff Writer
LUMBERTON — To see 6-year-old Barbara Crumbley from a distance, you’d never know she was living with — and dying from — an incurable brain tumor.It’s clear from her shy smile, angelic face and tousled blonde hair that she is blissfully unaware of the hand she’s been dealt.Her parents, James and Samantha, are only too aware and their pain is palpable. But they soldier on, thankful for each day of their daughter’s life, anxious over what tomorrow might bring, and praying for a miracle.“It’s been rough,” James said. “She was diagnosed in December 2006, but we knew something was wrong two months earlier. The doctors thought she had a bladder inf ection, then they thought it was acid reflux. Then one day after church she just collapsed.”Barbara was rushed to McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, S.C, and it was there that Dr. Christopher Paramore finally figured out what was wrong.“He cried when he told us,” James said.Paramore determined that Barbara had anaplastic ependymoma, a malignant brain tumor that affects fewer than 25 children nationwide. Later that month he performed surgery to remove the tumor from her head.After that, Barbara endured 33 radiation treatments between February 2007 and May 2008 at Duke University Medical Center in Durham where Dr. Sridharan Gururangan cares for her. For a time the cancer appeared to be in remission, but tests in December revealed that the disease was spreading.“They started her on a clinical trial earlier this year, but they took her off it two weeks ago when they realized it wasn’t working,” James said. “We’ve been giving her chemotherapy pills since then, trying to buy time until, hopefully, another clinical trial comes along.”James and Samantha say Barbara has confounded her doctors because of her seemingly healthy outward appearance.“They’re amazed at how she is doing, considering what she’s been through,” James said. “They can’t believe that she has as much motor function that she does and is as pain-free as she is.”But the Crumblys are struggling financially. Medical bills have wiped out all their assets. Medicaid helps, and Samantha works part-time at Bo’s Supermarket, but James, who once ran his own paint crew, has been out of work for several months. There are also the Crumbly’s other three children who need care and attention: Lynn Marie, 5; Hunter, 4; and 2-year-old Jason.They are getting some help. Their landlord, Laney Speight, told them in January they could stop worrying about paying the rent. Friends bring food and help with expenses and moral support. Edith Tyndall, a cancer survivor, offers emotional support. Their church, Godwin Heights Baptist, started a fund to help as well.“I can’t think of a more deserving family,” said Godwin Heights Pastor David Holloway. “The Crumblys are living in dire circumstances and doing the best they can.”The family has also received help from Jason Maloney and his parents, John and Mary Nell. The three run Family Speech Therapy Services that operates in several Robeson County schools, including West Lumberton Elementary, where Jason first came in contact with Barbara.“I first met her at school, but it became necessary to begin working with her at home which is when I got to know the family,” Jason said. “Once we got to know them and their situation, we just had to help. It’s what the Lord expects us to do. That’s our motto: ‘Family Helping Families.’”Citing Christ’s admonition not to seek praise for good works, the Ma loneys were reluctant to talk about how they had helped the Crumbley family, but James said they supplied a washer and dryer, got their utilities cut on, brought food, and put gas in their car when they had no money to get to Duke for treatments.“We’re so thankful to them and all the people who’ve helped us,” James said, struggling to maintain his composure. “I used to think the world was a bad place, but I found out there are good people out there. I found out after Barbara got sick.“It’s not about money. It’s about people just being there for you emotionally, when you need a friend or just someone who lets you know they care.”When asked if there was something he could do for his daughter, James said it would be nice to be able to take her to Disney World “just to get away and forget about everything and just have fun for a few days.”James said he also hopes his story will help others.“We want parents to know to trust th eir instincts if their child gets sick,” he said. “If you think something’s wrong and you’re not getting answers, keep pushing. No one knows your child like you do.”_______Anyone who would like to help the Crumbley family may send donations to: Godwin Heights Baptist Church Crumbley Family Fund, 704 Godwin Avenue, Lumberton, N.C. 28358. People may also send prayers and words of encouragement through the church website at www.godwinbc.com.
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