A combine is more than just a machine for Curtis Lewis; it’s his office. “Custom harvesting, I’ve been doing that all my life,” said Curtis Lewis, who lives in Bates City, Mo. Harvest of 2019 started out just like any other year. “We had just started, it was within the first week, and here I am,” said Lewis. On October 3, 2019, Lewis’ life took a dramatic turn. “I had a load of corn, and I was taking it to the elevator, when something just didn't feel right,” said Lewis. “I called him from work and I was talking to him, and he was slurring, and I was like, ‘are you okay?’” said Lewis’ wife Angela. “I asked, ‘What's going on?’ He said, ‘I don't know. I'm just really confused, and I can't feel my right arm and my right leg, and I can't see out of my right eye.’ I said, ‘Curtis, you need to get to the emergency room now.’” With a piercing headache, his mom rushed him to the hospital, and within minutes, the doctors confirmed the news wasn’t good. “All we knew initially was from the CT scan at the first hospital, and that it was a large brain bleed,” said Angela. “They said it wasn't an aneurysm or a stroke, necessarily, it was that there was a tumor that bled and that they thought it was cancerous,” said Angela. The diagnosis? “Grade four glioblastoma,” said Angela. Stage 4 brain cancer; news that still hasn’t sunk in. “I’m still coming to,” said Lewis. “I'm still trying to gather it all. It’s hard to explain; really hard accept, “said Lewis. “We have four children,” said Angela. “I think it's a dream,” added Lewis. A dream that’s quickly become a nightmare, with Lewis refusing to give up. “I’m not going to quit,” said Lewis. The Lewis’ immediately started searching for answers, with plans to travel to MD Anderson at the end of the month. As the whirlwind of events took place, work was already underway to help. “When I first thought of this, I never dreamed it would turn into something like it is now,” said Ben Brockmeyer, who works for MFA, Inc., a retailer in Odessa, Mo. Brockmeyer and Thad Madsen, both with MFA, knew they had to do something, and do it fast. “I had the idea last Thursday, a week ago, and we knew we wanted to get done soon because they're headed to Texas,” said Brockmeyer. He and Madsen did the only thing they knew they could do. They had the capacity to take grain, and haul it. So, they decided to travel farm to farm, picking up grain from any farmer who wanted to donate, with plans to cash those bushels in, and the proceeds given directly to the Lewis’. The outpouring of response and support has been both astonishing and humbling for Brockmeyer and Madsen. “The community really took off with it, and it’s really been unbelievable,” said Madsen. “Our goal was four or five or six loads, and people have already committed about 15,000 bushels…. I’ve had people text and call me from Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas, figuring out ways that they can help.” An act of kindness that’s turned into a rush of love and generosity...MORE
No comments:
Post a Comment