Spirit of Hanscom helps family through illness

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Within hours of Marianne Martinkus learning she had stage three throat cancer, following a doctor’s appointment in the fall of 2015, the Hanscom community rallied around her and her family to help.

Leading that effort were family friends Betsy Woolums and Amy Connell.

“As soon as we found out Marianne had cancer and that it would require the type of treatment she had to go through, we realized that there would be a need to get resources in place to keep the household going,” said Woolums. “We arranged meals, a cleaning service and a backup plan for the kids in case appointments went late or hospitalizations occurred.”

For Martinkus and her husband, Roger, a recently retired U.S. Army master sergeant, the response was overwhelming.

“The spirit of Hanscom came through in a big way for my family,” she said. “As a retired Army family living on an Air Force base, the support we received from so many members of this community -- many anonymously -- was such a display of togetherness and community spirit that I had never experienced before.”

At the time of the diagnosis, Martinkus had no idea how much that support would help.

“I thought I was going to work through it; I thought I’ve got this,” she said. “I’m in the best shape, running four miles every day and the day after my biopsy I ran the best 5k of my life. I was spitting blood, but it was a great run.”

However, soon after starting treatment, her health quickly deteriorated.

Her husband, a career combat medic, understood the significance of her deteriorating health.

“I went from being a father and a husband to being a nurse and a caregiver,” he said. “I was lucky to have the background I had, but I felt completely powerless watching the progression of this terrible decease.”

He spoke about how important the support was in his wife’s battle.

“It was amazing to see the community come together for someone who not only was from a different service, but was also retired,” he said. “The support helped make a terrible situation a little bit better for us and our two children.”

Roger spoke about how that support came in the form of cooked meals, people who watched their two children when needed, and through many other acts of kindness.

Connell, who met the Martinkus family at the base chapel, spoke about how age, rank or military affiliation doesn’t matter at Hanscom when it comes to helping a family in need.

“It is the only military community that I know where empty-nester grandparents might live next to a young family with small kids and a deployed spouse,” she said. “It fosters friendships among folks that may not have happened in other circumstances.”

Woolums, who has since moved with her family to a new base, highlighted that those friendships and the community spirit here helped many families with adversity throughout her eight years at Hanscom.

“We had one family lose everything in a house fire, other families who had children pass away, many families fighting cancer or other serious illnesses, as well as Airmen who passed away in 2015,” she said. “In all of those instances the community outpouring of support was tremendous. Not everyone can say they live in a community that is so special.”

Connell spoke about resources that are available to members of the community in need.

“The Hanscom Chapel is a great source of support for our community,” she said. “When newcomers arrive and come to one of the chapel services, they are welcomed into the fold and build lasting relationships that can help them through the tough times.”

Roger attributes the relationships he and his wife developed at the chapel, base schools and through youth sports to the outpouring of support.

“Hanscom is such a small community, if you get involved, you’ll know many of the people who call it home,” he said. “Whether you’re Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard, there is such a strong community support network in place here that enables the military member to focus on their respective mission, which is so incredibly important.”

Martinkus is now in remission. She is back running and looks forward to the future.

“To all the people who helped my family through our darkest days, thank you,” she said. “We’re so grateful to live in such a wonderful community. I don’t think we’ll ever leave now.”