My Name is Tricia Tatem Smith: I am a 37 year old
Mother, Wife and Nurse.
I am married to Patrick Smith and together we have 3 sons; Tyler Holland
(16), Cole Smith (13) and Tallon Smith (3). My husband and I were born
and raised on Chincoteague Island, VA. We both attended and graduated
from Chincoteague High.
I have always been involved in my community and
assisting those in need.
I guess that's what eventually led me to the field of Nursing. The road
to becoming a Nurse was a difficult one but the reward of helping others
has always made it worth the sacrifice my family and I have endured.
I never imagined that after years of caring for and supporting patients,
many of whom were fighting cancer that I would find myself in a battle
with the disease myself. Now I am the patient in need of care and
support. On April 14,2008 during a routine check up I was told that I
had a suspicious place on my hip. Remembering that 3 weeks prior I fell
while snow skiing I thought nothing of it. Then on April 18,2008 I was
told that I had cancer again, this time it was Lung cancer and it had
metastasized to bone.
I am being treated at
Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New
York, NY. I know that I am in the best placed receiving the best care in
the world. The Lord has given me a great team of Physicians and Nurses.
I am blessed to have a wonderful family and a terrific group of friends
that have helped us with caring for our children. My husband and I have
adopted New York as a home away from home. I have been living at The
American Cancer Societies Hope Lodge since May 2, 2008. It is very
expensive and difficult physically to travel back and forth from New
York to Virginia and even more expensive to have our sons brought up to
New York to visit with us. We all have had to sacrifice so I can receive
the specialized care that i need. We are both very grateful for
everything our family and friends have done for us.
My Doctors have said that I will require a lot of treatments, some of
which are in the first stages of clinical trials. But my Doctors expect
me to be in treatment for years to come. This has been and continues to
be a great financial burden. I am trusting in the Lord to cover my
expenses and deliver my families needs. I know that the Lord will
provide for us.
Psalm 116:4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: "O Lord, save me!"
