As he goes through one of the toughest periods in his life, John Rothwell is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support his family is receiving.
“We’re so very fortunate,” the emotional Barrie father of three told BarrieToday. “I didn’t even know we knew so many people.”
His youngest son, 19-year-old Liam, has osteosarcoma, which is the same type of bone cancer that afflicted Terry Fox, whose Marathon of Hope brought attention to the need to fund cancer research.
Liam lost his leg last year, but the cancer has continued to spread to his lungs and, more recently, to his spine, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
He has now decided to stop treatment to be with his family at home without having to endure the side effects of cancer treatment.
The entire 17 months or so since the teen’s first diagnosis, which came just as the pandemic took hold, has been very tough on the entire family.
But now Nicki, Liam’s mom, has discontinued working as a child-care provider to spend time with her son and help provide him with the 24/7 care he requires, leaving the family with reduced income even though their expenses have increased.
Friends have responded, rallying around the family with fundraisers and meal plans.
In the latest effort, one of Liam’s former elementary school teachers has launched a GoFundMe campaign.
“I always liked this kid, what a nice guy,” said Kellie McNabb, who was Liam’s French teacher at Assikinack Public School on Little Avenue.
She has launched a GoFundMe campaign that has raised more than $15,000 in less than a week, quickly exceeding her goal of $10,000. Among the recent contributors is a Barrie mom who unexpectedly lost her teenage son to an aneurysm last spring.
McNabb says the family has incurred increasing expenses with trips to Toronto for treatment and medical equipment.
“This has taken a financial toll on the family,” said McNabb. “It’s just so hard for the family.
“I’m a teacher, I’m off for the summer. I guess I just wanted to do something meaningful with my summer.”
Family friend Sandi Atkinson said Liam and his brother, Devin, who is two years his senior, were heavily involved in the air cadets and Liam had set his sights on being a pilot. That community, along with contacts from Scouting before that, and friends, including Liam’s girlfriend, have rallied to help out the south-end Barrie family.
Last fall, when the decision was made to remove Liam’s leg, they were shocked at the price of the prosthetic and maintenance costs. Atkinson quickly put together a golf tournament, raising $18,000 for the family.
“It’s overwhelming, honestly,” said Liam’s dad, struggling to find the right words. “We’re unbelievably grateful. How do you thank people?”
It’s not just the unsolicited financial support and the meal plans being organized through a Facebook page, it’s also the understanding that the Rothwells are going through such a difficult time.
Rothwell says it’s that overall support which has also come with an understanding that the family needs some space.
Friends of Liam and his brother, Devin, created a Facebook page to lift everyone’s spirits and keep the lines of communication open with the family, which also helps to limit calls and visits. Liam’s dad will occasionally add to the posts.
And that’s where the meal program idea developed and is now co-ordinated for every other night.
With the community firmly supporting the family, Rothwell looks at his son with awe, amazed that the teenager is much more concerned about how the individual members of his family are dealing with this situation than he is about himself.
“Watching him suffer through this is the most agonizing thing,” the dad said with difficulty. “Going through it ourselves, we weren’t prepared. We didn’t think we’d be at this point. Liam said the other night he had prepared himself long ago for this.
“I don’t know how he does it.”
More information is available on the GoFundMe page by clicking here.
