LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - For years the Autism Family Network has provided support to all different kinds of families across the state. The driving force behind it all is AFN president Cathy Martinez. Now, a stage 4 cancer diagnosis is turning the tables.
Martinez said she had felt pain in her side for about a month and had gone through various tests before asking for a CT scan at the hospital. The culprit of the pain was a tumor in her kidney. She has stage 4 renal cancer.
“I’m scared and very sad; still in a state of shock,” said Martinez, as she sits on a bench outside her home. “I was never expecting this. I feel very healthy. I’m just worried for my family.”
Martinez is a beacon of hope and light for families in Nebraska that have children with autism. Her friend Janelle Smith said she gives everyone hope, especially right after a diagnosis.
“A sense of hope,” said Smith. Smith is now the vice president of the Autism Family Network. “(She gave me) A sense that I could care for my child with a disability because I was at a loss. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know how to help him, and she kept saying, ‘You got this.’”
“We call her the person who’s on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” said Smith. “I would call her at 3 a.m. and she would answer the phone.”
That is the kind of support the Autism Family Network, and Martinez, provide. They connect families to the best doctors, therapists and each other to create a network of support.
Martinez’s sister, Mary Bauer, said Martinez has always been that way.
“She’s always been the gatherer. She can always gather people together,” said Bauer. “She constantly serves as a resource for people whose children were newly diagnosed with autism or other serious developmental disorders. Her phone rings off the hook every day because someone is calling her for advice on how to get started with information when their child is first diagnosed, and how to get through that shock period. She’s a great hand-holder for hundreds of moms and dads.”
Now, after years of rallying around others, fighting for their rights and holding hands through tough moments; Martinez is taking a well-earned rest from work to fight cancer. Smith and the team at AFN will operate AFN as Martinez goes through surgery to remove her kidney and then immunotherapy.
“Anyone, she’s just a fighter for,” said Smith. “It would be nice for the community to give that same respect back to her and let her know that we are fighting for her as well.”
Now, her friends and family are putting on a variety of fundraisers to help the Martinez family with growing medical costs. You can find a link to her GoFundMe account here; order a “Cathy’s Crusaders” t-shirt here; or mail funds directly to the Spirit of America Federal Credit Union, 325 N. 52nd St, Lincoln, NE 65504 ATTN: Cathy Martinez Fund.
Martinez’s church is also pitching in; there will be a rosary and prayer service at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 5:30 p.m. The Saint John’s Knights of Columbus is also hosting a pancake feed on Sunday, Oct. 25 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. It’s a free will feed with pancakes, French toast, ham, sausage, eggs and biscuits and gravy. The feed offers socially distanced dine-in options as well as drive-through.
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Family, friends rally behind president of AFN in face of stage 4 cancer diagnosis - KOLN
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