'One day at a time'

A fundraiser is being held Saturday for a Bowler woman who is battling cancer and whose house was destroyed by fire in November. Sandie Martin was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, lung cancer, in June. She was scheduled for lung resection surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., but because the cancer spread, she needed intense radiation and chemotherapy for six weeks beginning late in December. After that, her doctors will see if she will be able to have surgery. Because she had been scheduled for surgery, Sandie had to stop taking her arthritis medications. So when she got to the family home on Mohheconnuck Road from the Mayo Clinic on Nov. 13, she needed a wheelchair and the help of her husband, John, to get into the house. That night, after getting the fire going in the wood stove and getting everyone settled in, John woke up around 1:30 a.m. smelling smoke. He said he went downstairs and saw a giant fireball on top of the wood stove. After twice failing to reach his wife because of the smoke, John finally found her in the hallway and led her out of the house. On his way out the door, he grabbed a couple of jackets and the phone. John called 911 from the porch, but something popped and the phone went dead. Shortly thereafter, the house exploded in flames. Sandie asked John about their dog, Karma, a brindle Great Dane, who she said was helping her get out before John met her in the hallway. “When I took your hand, I let her go and she moved away,” Sandie told John. “Shells in my gun case started popping, so I got my wife situated behind a tree with the jackets covering her and I headed back to the house to find the dog,” John said. He found Karma’s lifeless body inside the back door. If it were not for Karma helping Sandie get out of the bedroom, John may not have been able to reach her because of the smoke. “That dog is a hero,” he said. Since the fire, the couple has been living with their daughter, Vicki Stevens, and her husband. Stevens said everything with the house is on hold. “We’re just trying to get Sandie healthy,” she said. “One day at a time, one step at a time, one breath at a time, we’ll get through this.” The community has rallied behind the Martins. “Whether it be money, clothing, or just hugs, I could not begin to say thank you enough,” said John, who has worked for Shawano County for more than 29 years. Today’s fundraiser runs from 2-7 p.m. at the Pine Hills Golf & Supper Club A-frame, N9499 Pine Hills Drive, Gresham. There is a $5 admission fee for those 18 and older; 17 and younger get in free. There also will be raffles, refreshments and music provided by a disc jockey. In addition to the fundraiser, there is a bank account at Associated Bank in the names of Vicki Stevens, Samantha Grant and Kathy Sprague-Waters for anyone wishing to make donations to help the family.