WESTLAND, Mich. (WXYZ) — A leukemia diagnosis has prompted a Westland mother to find creative ways to raise money for her adult daughter, who is off work and caring for four children while undergoing chemotherapy.
Watch Tony Geftos' video report:
Stephanie Wolfe, 32, of Garden City, received her diagnosis in March. She is on her husband's insurance, but early estimates for out-of-pocket chemotherapy costs ran into the thousands of dollars.
"As a mom, you never want to think about, like, your kids having to grow up without you, and when they told me that I had Leukemia, I was like, 'What do you do? What do I do for them?" Wolfe said.
Her mother, Sherri Detherage, had the same thought.
"I said to her, I said, 'I'll sell my car, but I can only do that once. So what happens next month?" Detherage said.
Detherage posted to Facebook asking neighbors in her Westland community to donate empty bottles and cans so she could return them for the deposit. The goal was to help cover co-pays, lost income, and day-to-day bills Wolfe's family would face.
What the family expected to be a modest amount of money turned into more than $1,000 in a matter of weeks.
"Originally, I was like, I'm grateful for anything," Wolfe said.
Wolfe said the outpouring of support has meant everything during a difficult time.
"When stuff like this happens, it can go one of two ways. You can get people who rally behind you, and it's like a beautiful thing, and I think I'm grateful in the fact that a lot of people have rallied around," Wolfe said.
Detherage is still collecting cans from anyone willing to donate and is now organizing a fundraiser at Oak Lanes bowling alley in Westland.
"We're trying to figure out ways to raise money for stuff without just begging for money," Detherage said. "My goal is to keep my youngest child here with me so she can grow old and grow up and watch her children grow up."
The fundraiser at Oak Lanes Bowling Alley, 8450 N Middlebelt Rd, Westland, MI, is set for Saturday, July 11, 2026.
To visit the family's online fundraiser, CLICK HERE: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-stephanies-fight-against-chronic-myeloid-leukemia
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