Saturday, June 27, 2009
By Jon Moffett
CANFIELD — Canfield school district bus drivers are readying a benefit spaghetti dinner for a driver’s husband, Jeff Schrum, diagnosed with a rare form of bile-duct cancer.
His wife, Jenny, 42, and fellow drivers set the dinner from noon until 5 p.m. Sunday in the high school cafeteria. The food will be provided by local restaurants.
Jeff Schrum, 45, of Canfield, is a self-employed mechanic and has not been able to work for the past few months. He was diagnosed in February.
Linda Cervello said she and fellow bus drivers Maria Rogers and Pattie Marshall originally decided to have the dinner, but many more drivers quickly agreed to volunteer. She said there has been an outpouring of support for her best friend, Jenny.
Cervello said it isn’t easy for the couple and their two daughters, Sarah, 16, and Samantha, 19, to live on Jenny’s bus-driver income.
“We are doing this because we want to raise enough money to help them out,” she said. “And we’ve had great support from the community. ... It’s been unbelievable.”
The event will include a spaghetti dinner, live auction, Chinese auction, 50-50 raffle, bake sale and live entertainment. Cervello said the live auction will start at 2:30 and the Chinese auction will begin at 4 p.m. There are more than 100 donated baskets to bid on, as well as other items.
Tickets can be purchased at the door and are $7 for adults and $5 for children under age 10. Cervello said the goal is to have about 1,200 people attend the dinner.
If people would like to help but cannot attend, Cervello said an account has been set up at Cortland Bank in Canfield. Donations can be made at any Cortland Bank location. For more information, contact Cervello at (330) 506-3257.
The Schrums were high school sweethearts, having dated since Jenny was a sophomore in high school. They dated for five years and have been married for the past 20. They met on a blind date through her brother.
Schrum said Jeff began feeling discomfort and went to the hospital in February. He found a lump and was sent to the Cleveland Clinic, where he was diagnosed with the illness. The clinic said the cancer had spread and was inoperable. The Schrums sought a second opinion in Pittsburgh and had a 10-hour surgery to remove the tumor as well as his bile duct, gallbladder and half of his liver.
“My family is wonderful; my brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, everybody,” Schrum said. “But just the day-to-day basis of these guys dropping by or the phone calls and cards has been helpful.”
Jenny said one of Jeff’s favorite hobbies is dirt-track racing. The event will also feature a DVD of some of the highlights of Jeff’s racing career. Jenny said she and her husband plan to attend the event, but it depends on how Jeff feels.
“Some days he feels really, really great, but other days, actually other hours, he doesn’t feel so good,” Jenny said. “But right now we’re planning on attending. He would really like to go.”
Jenny was moved to tears while talking about her husband, but Cervello was prepared to speak on behalf of her best friend and her husband.
“Jeff is very grateful to be alive,” she said. “His whole outlook on things has changed. I’ve heard him say that he’ll start crying out of the blue because he’s so thankful of what everyone is doing with the cards, phone calls and everything. He is just thanking God for every day he is here.”
After regaining her composure, Jenny was able to voice her affection for her husband: “He’s a good guy, he’s a good dad. I’ve been with him for 25 years; I’ve been with him forever. There has never been a time when he wasn’t there. There is no life without him.”
jmoffett@vindy.com