Claremore Family Facing Breast Cancer Battle Loses Home In Fire

The Thurmans lost their home Tuesday afternoon to a fire. But getting through that should be easy compared to the fight they've been waging for the past two years.

Wednesday, November 3rd 2010, 4:24 pm

By: News On 6


Dan Bewley & Terry Hood, News On 6

CLAREMORE, Oklahoma -- A Claremore family is dealing with another round of tragedy.

The Thurmans lost their home Tuesday afternoon to a fire. But getting through that should be easy compared to the fight they've been waging for the past two years.

Steve Thurman can barely believe his eyes.

"It was just, it was crazy," he said.

His home is gone, destroyed by fire. The family is left with practically nothing.

"Nope.  Just what I have on," Jamie Thurman said.

Jamie Thurman noticed the fire Tuesday afternoon when she came back from a walk.

"I slammed the door and called my husband," she said.

A day later and the Thurmans are asking questions that seem to have no answers.

"Where to start again, you know?" Steve said. "What do we do next?"

A home destroyed by fire would be tough for any family.

"Just when you think it can't get any worse, it can," Jamie said.

Jamie is in her third year of fighting breast cancer. It's now in stage 3 and she begins her ninth round of chemo this Friday, November 5, 2010, the day before her 40th birthday.

"I'm inoperable," she said. "I have tumors metastasized to my throat, my stomach, my intestines, and my lymph node system."

Tragedy, unfortunately, is not new to the Thurmans.  Jamie's mother died a year ago September from lung cancer. The urn holding her ashes was one of a few belongings to survive the fire.  And Jamie's brother is fighting abnormal growths on his brain, believed to be life threatening.

"It's a helpless feeling, it really is," Steve Thurman said. "All you can do is just push on and pray."

Prayer.  That's how the family says they'll get through this latest turn of events. They're not worried, after all.  They say it's all part of a larger plan.

"If this is what God has planned for me then I accept it wholeheartedly because it's not about me, if this is His will, so be it," Jamie said.

The Thurmans have two teenage children; they were not home at the time of the fire.  Jamie's co-workers will be holding a garage sale to help raise money for the family.

The sale will be held November 20, 2010, at 1110 West Will Rogers Boulevard in Claremore.  

Donations can be dropped off November 19, 2010 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.   Jamie's co-workers are asking anyone who would like to donate to price the items before dropping them off.  Gift cards and cash donations will also be accepted.

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News on 6 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

November 3rd, 2010

March 14th, 2024

December 4th, 2023

September 25th, 2023

Top Headlines

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024