ST. GEORGE, Utah — A community is coming together to support one of their own. The Smith family of St. George has been racing some real challenges as their husband and father fights cancer. But he isn't doing it alone.
"I just can’t put into words what has been done for our family, and what continues to be done for our family, I don’t know. It’s something I wasn’t expecting," Tawni Smith says she's never been one for attention, but the outpouring of support she and her husband and their four children have seen since his recent cancer diagnosis has been such a gift.
"What it feels like when you’ve got people in your corner no matter what! And it’s I don’t know it’s a real sense of these are your people, this is my tribe, this is my village and I think everybody needs a reminder of what that feels like – was there a better way for us to be finding that out? Yes, I absolutely hate that my husband’s going through this!!!
Her husband Jason, just 48 years old, was diagnosed in April with non small cell lung cancer. This father of four working as a sales manager for a local electronic wholesale company the past 21 years she says was the picture of health.
"He like walks 15 thousand steps a day and he hasn’t missed going to the gym in five years at 5am and he eats clean and he doesn’t smoke and it’s like where does this come from -it’s so crazy," said Tawni.
But it was just a couple months ago when Jason got sick and now they're on a journey they never expected.
"We’ve done some scans and MRIs and catscans and stuff and I swear everytime we go in there I swear it’s like a new, oh we found this or oh we found this?" She said.
Tawni says they discovered he has a tumor in his brain related to the lung cancer that's inoperable and they're treating through radiation, and on an intensive chemotherapy plan to fight his lung cancer.
"We call it cancer pills because I don't know how to pronounce the medication, um but he’s on those chemo pills that he take 8 of those day."
With mounting medical costs, those pills alone she says are 6 thousand dollars a month.
"For right now, we're just in that mode of hey, 'let's take it day by day,'" she said.
"Everyone loves the Smith family. Just to rub shoulders with them, to know them, they’re incredible and they’re the type that would do anything for you. They’d give you the shirt off their back if it was the last thing they were wearing," Laura Stagg has worked with Tawni in the wedding special event industry.
"I know that there’s a big need for them in regards to Jason’s level," she said. "And Tawni needing to be by his side takes her away from what she does to bring in income."
Their 'wedding friends' as Tawni called them are all coming together to organize a fundraising event, an all day affair "Stand by Smitty" Saturday June 21st.
"People have just come out of the woodwork to support and to help them. So many fun things planned!"
A color fun run is planned to kick off the mormning, followed by a pancake breakfast, food trucks throughout the day, live music, and then that night a special concert followed by dinner.
"Who doesn’t want to help a family in need and have fun while they’re doing it?"
There are lots of community partners involved, but they say they'll still take more help if you can. If you're able to help, you can do so through the fundraiser "Give Butter" - look up "Stand By Smitty".
