Bev Ruff
My mother died of colon cancer April 19.
My mother was the center of my family’s life. She was our pillar. She was a kind and generous lady. She had five children, and eight grandchildren, whom she adored! She didn’t work while we (her kids) were little, but went to work when we were teenagers. She did office work, until she got a job at The University of Minnesota Hospital as a manager in the Gift Shop. She loved this job and worked there for about 25 years. She loved working with all the different volunteers that helped run The Gift Shop. We have many fond stories of her while she worked at The Gift Shop. She made lots of life long friends while she worked.
After she retired, she became the world best grandma!! She doted on them as well as her husband of 50 years and us grown children. She always put others before herself. She was a wonderful mother/grandma/friend and is missed very much!!!
In 2004, she found blood in her stools and that’s when everything started. She had some tests and was told that they found a poker chip size tumor in her colon, but that with surgery they would be able to remove it. So this is what happened, she went in the hospital to have surgery, she hadn’t been in the hospital in 40 years, when she had her last kid. Everyone was very nervous, but the doctors got it all and everything was ok, so we thought. One year later it was back, this time she had to take chemo, and had to wear a colostomy bag for several months, and several months of uncomfortable pain.
2006 was her big year, her and my father were about to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, so the plans began, all while she struggled through this painful disease. Her main worry was if she going to feel well enough for this party. September 8, 2006 was the big party and she looked wonderful and felt pretty good too. The party was a success and she had a wonderful time! Then things took a turn for the worse, she got her results from the PET scan and the cancer had spread. This is when she pretty much gave up.
She quit eating, and you had to know my mom, she loved to eat. She started the whole ugly thing at about 150 pounds, and when she finally died she was a mere 70 pounds. No one should ever have to go through this disease and this is why my family has decided to go on this walk to help raise money to stop this awful disease. Please say a prayer for my wonderful mom, Bev Ruff, she is now in a place where she no longer has to suffer! God takes the good ones first and we have to believe that is why she was taken from us at the early age of 70. We love you mom and miss you very much!!!!