Giving a Family Support and a Break

I could fill a book with my list of complaints, gripes, problems, difficulties, setbacks, moans and groans. But I would be embarrassed to do so after hearing about the TRUE misfortunes that the Osborn Family from Pine Beach has had to deal with.

You might have heard in recent days about the death of 47-year old Ellen Osborn, who died last Thursday just a little over two weeks after it was discovered that she had a large brain tumor. Osborn made it through surgery but problems quickly developed and she was placed on life support before passing away a short time later.

A popular teacher at Millstone Township Middle School her sudden death was devastating not just to her family and friends but her co-workers and many students. As if this was not enough what makes this story so gut-wrenching is what this family has had to endure in recent years.

Ellen leaves behind her husband Rick and their two children, Carter (11) and Charles (7). To be honest it has been Rick’s health that had been the focus of her attention for almost seven years. He was plagued by kidney problems and was receiving dialysis on a daily basis for some three years but was desperately in need of a new kidney.

In order to move him up on the donation list faster it was Ellen who donated one of her kidneys through a program that would eventually lead to Rick getting one sooner and it turned out to be a life-saver as his health improved.

However in April he suffered a brain aneurism as well as several strokes and spent months in the hospital while Ellen ran the show at home while also teaching applied technology to her students. Rick would later move to a rehab facility where he’s been getting stronger but then out of nowhere comes the news that it’s his wife with a medical fight of her own and one she could not beat.

So you and I think we have reasons to complain.

The family has announced that funeral services will be Saturday, August 22nd at St. James Church in Pennington which is where Ellen grew up. A funeral mass will be held from 10 a.m. -11 a.m. with a lunch reception afterwards and open to all.

A GoFundMe account has been started by a cousin has raised over $90,000 to help Rick continue his therapy, the family keep their home and insure the boys are taken care of. Sometimes I’m a bit skeptical of these but not in this case. The Osborn Family deserves support and a break. They have been true victims of misfortune!