Miracles in the Making: Grant Recipient Rob Linger

Robert Linger is 37 years old and a loving husband and busy father of three. Robert lives in Wisconsin with his wife Maryann, two daughters, and one son.  Before being diagnosed with stage 4b colon cancer in October of 2012, Robert was a very active dad.  He coached his two daughters' soccer teams and his son's soccer team.  When soccer was not in season he enjoyed playing baseball and coaching wrestling with his son and playing tennis with his girls.  Since being diagnosed, his life has obviously taken a complete turn. 

Meredith's Miracles granted Rob and his family a grant of $845, which will cover their phone bill, car payment, gas bill, electric bill, and Internet/TV bill for one month.  Please keep Robert and his family in your thoughts and prayers as he continues to fight this disease.

Miracles in the Making: Grant Recipient Kyle Lovering

Kyle Lovering is a 27 year old husband to Kaylee and dedicated father to two children: Kyler, age 7 and Kylee, age 4.  He lives in Florida and loves cheering on his favorite baseball team: The Tampa Bay Rays.  He enjoys skate boarding, drawing, and of course playing with his two kids!    

Kyle was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2010.  He has gone through numerous treatments of radiation and chemo, and surgery to remove his cancerous mass.  The cancer has spread to his lymph nodes and lungs.  He has recently been in and out of the hospital due to infections and complications.  He is currently starting another round of chemo after being off for 131 days.  Meredith's Miracles granted Kyle and his family $790 to cover two months of bills (Gas to and from chemo, Car insurance, Phone bill, Daycare costs). We hope that this grant will give Kyle and his lovely family a little support through their fight against colon cancer.

Miracles in the Making: Grant Recipient Gloria Klinger

Gloria Klinger is a 29 year old teacher living in North Carolina. Her diagnosis story was similar to Meredith's. Due to her youth, it took many doctor's visits and pressure from her to get the doctors to further investigate her stomach issues. She was finally diagnosed with colon cancer in November 2012. Gloria says that her faith in God has been leading her in her battle, and that she is, "inspired by Meredith's legacy and her heart to establish this foundation." Gloria is living life to the fullest each day, and enjoys cooking and baking and playing with her dog. She is a part of her church's praise team and choir. MMCCF awarded Gloria a grant total of: $931.00. This will help Gloria to pay her rent, car payment, and car insurance for one month. Please keep Gloria in your prayers.

Miracles in the Making: Grant Recipient Candra Buchanan

As most of our followers know the mission of MMCCF is two-fold: to save lives by raising awareness of the symptoms that might indicate colon cancer, and to provide financial assistance to young adults undergoing treatment for colon cancer.


We will be updating all of our supporters with a series of blogs called, "Miracles in the Making." These blog updates will share the stories of some of our grant recipients.


Our most recent grant recipient is Candra Buchanan. She is a 35 year old graduate student with stage four colon cancer. She was diagnosed in May 2012 and is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments. MMCCF is paying for her cell phone bill and car insurance for the next three months.

For more information on how we grant miracles or how you can donate to our miracle making funds, please visit: Making Miracles with MMCCF

Man of Steel?

I married a man who believes that he is, Superman. He truly thinks that he is invincible, and that if he is hurt or injured, rubbing a little dirt in the wound will actually help. Some might call this toughness and some might call this naivety. Regardless, it is hard to get him to go to the doctor. However, after Meredith's passing, I made it my mission to make him go. He began to experience symptoms during his bowel movements that reminded me of Meredith's. He had bleeding, diarrhea, and an inability to produce normal bowel movements. After much prodding, at the age of 31 my husband finally went to the doctor. They recommended that he go in for a colonoscopy. After a night of laxatives and a day of worry at the hospital, his colon was pronounced clear, and the doctors told him he needed to eat more fiber. My "invincible" husband made sure to tell me, "I told you so," several times, but for the first time, I didn't care. He had a healthy colon, and that's all that mattered. Meredith's story allowed me to be more educated and aware of colon cancer, and even though my husband was only 31, I knew that there was a possibility that his body might be telling him something. If you are experiencing any symptoms, or know someone who is, I encourage you or them to go to the doctor.

No one is invincible.

Here are some basic symptoms according to the CDC:

Colorectal polyps and colorectal cancer don't always cause symptoms, especially at first. Someone could have polyps or colorectal cancer and not know it. That is why getting screened regularly for colorectal cancer is so important.
If there are symptoms, they may include—

• Blood in or on your stool (bowel movement).
• Stomach pain, aches, or cramps that don't go away.
• Losing weight and you don't know why.

If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor. These symptoms may be caused by something other than cancer. However, the only way to know what is causing them is to see your doctor.