‘December Is The Month Of Miracles’ - ‘Woman Of Steel’ Cindy Marlow ‘Has Helped Tens Of Thousands Over The Past 2.5 Decades’ Through A Variety Of Fundraising Efforts, ‘Now She Needs The Help Of Those In The Labor Movement As She Battles Cancer’
I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine - Cindy Marlow (Pictured Above/WNYLaborToday.com Photo), who - to put it plainly at this point of her 69-year-old life, is trying to survive.
For those in the Western New York Labor Movement, Cindy’s name is well known.
As a long-time Member of the United Steelworkers (USW), Cindy has been the point person helping run the USW’s Women of Steel (WOS) Chapter across the region.
And for the past two-and-a-half decades, Cindy and those wonderful Women who’ve given of their time have literally helped tens of thousands of people - Union and Non-Union, through a variety of fundraising efforts, many of which WNYLaborToday.com has reported on over the years.
From raising countless amounts of money for food and diaper drives to annually knitting dozens and dozens of Winter hats, scarves and gloves that are given to the less fortunate and poor during the Holiday Season, Cindy has been a constant over the course of time, always putting others in front of herself and being there to help when those many needs arise.
You could always count on Cindy as she always made that commitment - no matter what.
But now, it is Cindy who needs help - and I’m hoping anyone and everyone who reads this will find it in their hearts to do so.
In August 2022, Cindy was diagnosed with Endometrial and Peritoneal Cancer.
After many rounds of chemotherapy, she underwent surgery in February of this year.
The pathology report that came back showed Cindy has Stage 4 Mixed Muellenan Tumor Carcinosarcoma, which is a mouthful to say, let alone begin to explain what that all means.
Since then, Cindy has continued to undergo chemo treatments and receives infusions of Keytruda, Magnesium and hydration as she continues to fight to survive.
To make matters worse, this isn’t her first bout with cancer.
In 1999, she survived Breast Cancer.
And on top of it all, fluid has accumulated around her abdomen - which makes it hard for her to breathe, which has to be periodically drained.
Knowing what Cindy is going through, I cannot tell you how amazed I am to see her continued to be pictured on Social Media, particularly at USW events held in New Jersey and Pittsburgh, sitting behind a table with donated baskets of goodies, helping raise money for one or another charity that the Women of Steel are involved in.
Even with the odds continuing to stack up against her and dealing with such a weakened state that everything this disease and its side-effects has thrown at her, Cindy is still front and center - helping do good for others while she battles her own demons.
I sat with Cindy last week in her Suburban Buffalo home while she lay under several blankets on her couch, a cloth mask covering her mouth to ward off any airborne germs (her immune system, to say the least, is not what it once was), talking about what she’s gone through and what lies ahead with Christmas just around the corner - and how she feels about an upcoming fundraiser on December 15th (which has already sold out) to help defray mounting medical costs.
“I’ve ‘got three going on at the same time’ with cancer fluid around my abdomen,” she said. “The objective is to (continually) get it drained out. I have it done once a week, about three liters. ‘I can’t breathe, and it makes me look like I’m nine months pregnant.’ ‘It’s painful, an eight on a scale of ten’. ‘But at least now, I can breathe.’”
Cindy gets chemo treatment every four weeks, a treatment she calls the “red devil.”
The treatments take a lot out of her and it's her son, Nathan, her family (Sister Sara, Brothers Joe and Bill - and his wife, Chris, Niece Taylor, among others - including USW Member Melissa Mazzarella) who are there for her to either transport her to her treatments and stay with her as she deals with the after-effects.
“‘I am overwhelmed by all the love,’” she says. “People ‘have come out of the woodwork for me.’ ‘This is all so huge.’ ‘You go through life and do your thing and you don’t think of anything bad happening.’ ‘All I’ve wanted to do was help people.’”
Dozens of Get Well Cards filled with awesome words of support hang on the walls of Cindy’s home - a reminder of the love and support she’s getting from her USW Brothers and Sisters, Women of Steel Members and family and friends.
“‘I’m thankful they are thinking about me.’ ‘Those cards will stay up there (on her walls) until I get better or I die,’” she said. “‘What I need now is prayers.’ ‘God does work in strange ways.’”
Cindy’s been a USW Member since 1989, heading her Local at Hale Expo Services in Buffalo, a trade show and event company where she represents 12 Members.
“When I got involved in my Union ‘I was the only Woman, but I’m blessed to be able to do what I do and represent those Workers at Hale,’” she said.
She has been involved in the Women of Steel Chapter since 1990, deciding that she “had to help” those in the community who needed help.
Over the past couple of months, photos of Cindy helping raise donations for a number of worthy causes could been seen on Facebook - in New Jersey at a USW conference and then at another in Pittsburgh.
Asked why she was there to do so, Cindy answered: “‘Because there’s a need.’ ‘God gives me a few good days and I can help.’ ‘It’s in my blood.’ I was a single Mom. ‘I didn’t get any help and I struggled.’ ‘I worked three different jobs.’ ‘I understand what people are going through.’ ‘It’s always a struggle.’ ‘I was not the only one.’ ‘I wish I could do more, but we all do what we can.’”
John Dubreville, who serves as Hale Expo Services’ Director of Sales - and who is a long-time friend of Cindy’s, told me he had been hanging on to a folder full of information for a potential fundraiser for Cindy for the past several months - just waiting for the word to move forward.
“We’d talked ‘internally’ about ‘what we had to do and get a plan prepared,’ from tables and chairs to entertainment. ‘We were ready to go,’” he said. “She sat across from me when I pulled the folder out of my desk drawer. ‘It is all being done out of love and support.’ ‘We are ready.’”
“I’ve known Cindy for twenty-three years,” Dubreville continued. “‘She is someone who really cares.’ When you ‘do something,’ she says, ‘do with pride and professionalism.’ ‘You can’t teach that.’ ‘(She leads) by example and she takes action.’ ‘She has a true heart, a human being with compassion - no matter what.’ ‘You find strength in her passion in life for others and she’s always ten steps ahead of you.’ ‘I know how much Cindy is loved and how she has touched us all in such a profound way.’ ‘She has real strength and courage.’”
Fighting back tears, USW District 4 Director David Wasiura - who shared an emotional dance with Cindy at a recently-held USW conference (Pictured above/Facebook Photo) told me: “‘I think the world of her.’ ‘I love this Woman.’ ‘It’s always about what she can do to help out.’ ‘I don’t know if she could ever do enough.’ ‘You can’t list all the things she’s done.’ She’s ‘dedicated to our community and the people she has helped she will never meet, never knowing who they are.’ ‘Now, she’s in the fight of her life and she still (shows up) in our office twice a week.’ ‘Her life is our Members - now we need to stand up for her.’”
Jim Briggs serves as USW District 4 Sub-Director and like Wasiura has known Cindy for the longest time: “If someone ‘was in need, Cindy would find a way to get there to help.’ Anytime a person lives their life like this and something like this (cancer) happens, you ask: ‘Why her?’ ‘But she doesn’t dwell on her issues, instead she asks how can we help?’ She’s’ just an amazing’ person. ‘If you look up Women of Steel in the dictionary, you would find that she defines it.’ ‘She’s not only a leader, she’s a warrior.’’
USW Member and fellow Woman of Steel Member Melissa Mazzarella - who Cindy said “loves to pieces,’ told me: “I ‘love’ her. She has the ‘kindest’ heart. ‘She would give you the shirt off her back if you asked and would resize it into something that fit you.’ ‘As sick as she is, nothing stops her.’ If someone ‘needs help, she shows up.’ ‘And I’m sure she bleeds (USW) blue because its always the Union, the Union, the Union.’”
Cindy is uncomfortable with a spotlight being focused on her with the fundraiser that will help pay a mountain of medical bills that are not only accumulating because of her cancer treatment, but will continue to mount in the coming months.
Those costs are about $25,000 - a month.
“I ‘don’t like to ask for anything - just prayers,’” she said. “‘My prayer is this chemo will dry up (the fluid in her system) and keep it in check.’ ‘But there is no cure, it will come back.’ The chemo (treatments) ‘is keeping me alive.’ My disability (insurance) ran out and ‘I don’t know if I will be able to go back to work.’ I’ve had a collection agency come after me for unpaid (medical) bills, ‘but I can’t fight it - I have no stamina.’ I have more chemo coming in January, February and March. ‘I have no clue what it will cost.’”
But regarding the collective effort that created the fundraiser that’s being held on her behalf, Cindy says: “I ‘am humbled - never in a million years that I thought I would need such help.’”
Individual tickets have sold out.
Additional donations (not including basket raffles that will happen at the event) bring the current total to around $10,000 - but unfortunately, it will not be enough when it comes to tackling all those medical bills that Cindy continues to face.
But when I reminded Cindy that the month of December has been called the month of miracles, she responded: “It ‘never dawned on me.’”
With that said, I hope those of you who are reading this, and hopefully will share it with others via e-mail, text and Social Media, have gotten to know Cindy Marlow a bit better.
She undoubtedly has made the lives of a countless number of people - many she does not know, better by what she has done and committed her life to.
That’s why I want to personally ask you to help make this a month of miracles for Cindy.
I know the generosity of Union Members here in Western New York and across the United States, having published hundreds of stories of them giving back to the communities where they work, live and raise their families over the years.
Cindy Marlow is a Union Member that we can all be proud of, one who exemplifies what Labor Unions and their Members are all about.
Now, she needs our help.
A gofundme page has been set up for her in at attempt to put a major dent in her growing medical bills: Fundraiser for Cindy Marlow by Lisa Husami : Cindy Marlow - (gofundme.com).
If it is at all possible, let me respectfully ask you forego your cup of Starbucks or Tim Horton’s coffee or whatever else and make a donation to Cindy’s gofundme page.
Doesn’t matter if it is $1 or $2, $5, $10 or $20, it all adds up.
There are more than 140,000 Union Members in Western New York alone.
And there are more than 11 million Union Members across this country.
Just think of what your individual donation can do even if you do not know Cindy Marlow, whom Mazzarella likened to a heavenly figure.
“‘She makes me believe that Angels walk on earth’,” Mazzarella said. “‘She’s one of them.’”
WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note, For More On Cindy Marlow, Read:
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