Substitute teacher Cynthia Tisdale worked two jobs to make ends meet and pay for her ailing husband’s medical expenses.
The 63-year-old mom, wife and grandmother was among the 10 killed Friday after a mass shooter opened fire inside Santa Fe High School in Texas.
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WATCH BELOW: Statement from family of Cynthia Tisdale
On Facebook, her family paid tribute to her life and announced funeral arrangements.
She will be laid to rest Friday — on what would have been her 64th birthday.
Her brother-in-law, John Tisdale, said that amid the “tragic” news, there is some hope.
John explained that the family had been trying to raise medical treatment funds for his brother, William Recie Tisdale, for several months.
William has a life-threatening disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which causes scarring on lungs, makes it difficult to breathe and limits the amount of oxygen organs receive.
The family started a GoFundMe campaign for his treatment in March, but donations were slow to come in.
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But as people around the world learn of Cynthia’s devotion to her husband, and the sacrifices she made for him, they are pitching in to make her dream come true.
The GoFundMe campaign, with an initial goal of $30,000, has now climbed over $49,000.
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A post on the GoFundMe page from March explained that William “lost all hope” of surviving when he was denied a lung transplant, but a stem cell treatment could offer him a few more years.
It added that William wanted to survive in order to have more time with Cynthia, his wife of 47 years.
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On Monday, the family posted another update on the fundraiser.
“We are still in such disbelief that anything good can come out of such a horrific event,” the post read.
“My mom always made good come out of bad situations though and this is no different for her.”
The post explained that part of the funds raised will now go toward paying for the teacher’s funeral. Another part will go toward seeking a second opinion on whether William is eligible for a lung transplant. The family will also look into stem cell treatment options.
“We don’t know how to put it all into words but thank you doesn’t give it enough justification,” the page read.
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Texas shooting victims
Friday’s incident is the worst school shooting in the U.S. since the Parkland, Florida shooting in February, which left 17 dead.
READ MORE: Santa Fe school shooting victims include exchange student, 2 substitute teachers
Eight of the 10 killed Friday were students: Kimberly Vaughan, Shana Fisher, Angelique Ramirez, Christian Riley Garcia, Jared Black, Sabika Sheikh, Christopher Jake Stone and Aaron Kyle McLeod.
Glenda Perkins and Cynthia Tisdale were teachers.
At least 13 people were injured in the attack. A 17-year-old student, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, is being held on murder charges.