Community comes out to support Green Mountain nurse

Robert and Christine Simmons have been described as the type of people who always help others and never ask for anything in return.
http://eagletimes.villagesoup.com/p/community-comes-out-to-support-green-mountain-nurse/1162768

Community comes out to support Green Mountain nurse By CHRIS GAROFOLO | Apr 07, 2014 Eagle-Times Photo by: Chris Garofolo Robert and Christine Simmons, third and fourth from the left in the back row, stand with their family at a local fundraiser Saturday night. The event was designed to raise money for Christine, who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. SPRINGFIELD — Robert and Christine Simmons have been described as the type of people who always help others and never ask for anything in return. For years, the two have participated in multiple fundraisers and community drives in the greater Springfield area. As a sergeant in the Springfield Police Department, Robert helped organize the popular Donkey Basketball games while his wife, a school nurse at nearby Green Mountain Union High School in Chester, led a local youth group that dedicated time each month to planting flowers, organizing food drives and volunteering at the humane society. “My mom and dad are the type of people who will be always be there to help anyone on the drop of a dime and always puts others before themselves. They both have worked extremely hard their whole lives in order to give us everything we needed and for them to accept help from others is hard,” said 26-year-old Lindsey Simmons, the couple’s eldest daughter currently living in Albany, N.Y. So when Christine was stricken with a brain tumor about two months ago, it came as a shock to the family. Now the community members who the Simmons have supported for years have an opportunity to lend them a hand. Several thousand dollars has been raised in the past few weeks. Friends have contacted the Simmons to start their own fundraisers to help, including Hillside Auto of Paddock Road that organized a bake sale and raffle that has already raised more than $1,600. The Springfield Cinema is pitching in with a variety of child-friendly game nights, as is the Robert L. Johnson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 771 with a spaghetti dinner held last Saturday evening. Dozens attended the event, which featured family members coming to Springfield from parts of Maine and New York. “The bills stack up, and I pay what I can. And some of the fundraisers that my oldest has done has paid for some and the rest are sitting dormant at the moment,” said Robert Simmons. “And they stack up fast, so we do what we can.” In total, the family hopes to raise around $20,000 to cover the majority of the expenses. As head of the family, Robert Simmons tries to keep the medical bills outside the mainstream conversation, but it creeps out. “I don’t think that my parents realized how much money this was going to cost even with insurance. The news came not long after my dad retired from the Springfield Police Department, which has most definitely had a negative impact on their income,” Lindsey Simmons said. Since Robert Simmons recently retired from the Springfield force to take a position with the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department that offered more stable hours, the family has fought the town over his paid time-off that he obtained during his tenure. Christine Simmons has remained dedicated to her job at Green Mountain, continuing to work a few half-days each week. Those at the school call her more than a nurse; she is a friend, counselor and role model for the students. Her surgery is scheduled for April 16 in Boston. “Some time in the middle of May she could possibly return full-time if all goes well. That’s what the rough guess is,” said Robert Simmons. “They said if everything goes well within three weeks, she’ll be able to return to work.” Students appeared at the VFW fundraiser over the weekend to present her with flowers. Some of her fellow educators and friends within the school also appeared. Hugs were plentiful. “She was more than overwhelmed with people knowing her or me or the family as a whole and coming out [and making donation],” said her husband. The couple’s three children said their mother does not have to take the time out of her day to listen to students and parents, but even in her condition now she does because of her big heart. As a matter of fact, much of her free time at home is spent crafting letters of gratitude to all those in the community who have supported her and her family during this ordeal. “While dedicating all of this time to the community she still has managed to be the most amazing wife and mother a family could ask for,” Lindsey Simmons said. “My mom has always been the most kind and generous person I’ve ever known. Along with spending over 17 years as a nurse she has been consistently active with volunteer work in the town of Springfield.” On the Web: http://gfwd.at/1fEDmFH