Follow-up story: Mother battling cancer survives
In August we told you about Brittany Tornow, a young mother from northern Minnesota who The Salvation Army was helping as she battled cancer. We are happy to report that she is now cancer-free and thriving.
For more than a year, Tornow needed support as the cancer drained her mind, body and bank account. While doctors cared for her body, The Salvation Army in Virginia, Minn., helped handle the rest by offering counseling, financial support and other assistance.
“The Salvation Army helped me out tremendously,” affirmed Tornow, a 28-year-old mother of two young children. “My heart is full of gratitude and love.”
That gratitude stems from the Virginia Salvation Army providing her food assistance and school supplies for her children (pictured). In addition, when she fell behind on her energy bill, an anonymous Salvation Army donor paid $300 to get her caught up and also provided grocery and phone cards. And during the holidays, another Salvation Army donor showered her family with Christmas presents.
As for Tornow’s mental health, Virginia Salvation Army case worker Jean Cheney helped her deal with the otherworldly stress of cancer treatment. They met regularly for months.
“One time I sat in (Cheney’s) office and cried for 45 minutes,” Tornow recalled. “I needed somebody to talk to for advice, someone to confide in.”
The two of them kept meeting long after Tornow was declared cancer-free in October.
“After cancer, you have to learn how to live all over again,” Tornow said. “You go from fighting for your life to figuring out what’s the new you.”
So far, the new Tornow is incredible. In January, she enrolled in college for a degree in human services. Her goal is to work as a hospital counselor for cancer patients. Through attending school, she’s making good on a promise she made to herself when her life hung in the balance: If she survived, she’d make a career out of helping others like herself.
“I want to help them make it through the struggles, show them they’re not alone,” Tornow said. “I want to pay it forward. God has blessed me so much.”
Many of those blessings were made possible by Salvation Army supporters.
“There are so many wonderful people out there,” Tornow said, referring to Salvation Army donors.
You, too, can be wonderful. Simply make a donation.