Collecting money for the Susan Jean Fryer Cancer Fund are L-154 members, l. to r., Brett Fryer, Brett Hambleton, Steve Fryer, and Terry Cline.
WHEN LOCAL 154 members learned of an experimental medical treatment that may save the life of a fellow member’s spouse, they went right to work raising the necessary funds to purchase the needed equipment.
Susan Jean Fryer, wife of Local 154 member Stevie Fryer (Pittsburgh), has a rare form of breast cancer. Her doctor recommends treatment with a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Since this medical treatment is considered experimental, its costs are not covered by their health care insurance.
It costs $455 each time Susan visits the oxygen chamber; a minimum of three-to-four visits per week is normal for Susan. So Local 154 members are raising money to purchase a chamber at a cost of $21,000.
Members have been collecting money at job sites and at union meetings. At the June lodge meeting, members and the retirees club made donations to the Fryer fund. In addition, lodge members held a fund raiser August 18 at the Kennedy Marina on the Ohio River in Newell, W.Va., that included a cook-out and performances by live bands. When Susan no longer needs to use the chamber, they plan to donate the equipment to another Boilermaker family in need.
The Fryers have two children, ages 4 and 8. Donations can be sent to the Susan Jean Fryer Cancer Fund, c/o Cheryl Sutton, Sky Bank Manager, 15836 St. Clair Ave., East Liverpool OH 43920, or any Sky Bank location.
