Helping One Guy Honors Will Romines
If ever there were a man enduring life changing crisis, it is Acworth native, Will Romines. More appropriately, Will and his family, have been going through a SERIES of crises, tragedies, and catastrophes that would devastate any of us.
Will and his wife, Renita, lost a child at birth in 2013. Fisher Romines was born prematurely and lived just two hours, before passing away in his mother's arms. It took the couple many years of grieving before they found the courage to try again. Then, God blessed them with Finley who is now eight years old.
The family's joy was tempered when, just eight weeks after Finley's birth, his then ten-year-old sister, Jaimee, was diagnosed with pilocytic astrocytoma - a tumor on her brain stem, which caused paralysis on her left side. Jaimee underwent an emergency craniotomy to remove as much of the tumor as possible. After surgery, Jaimee was hospitalized for four weeks, and had various outpatient therapies five days a week for the next year - physical, occupational, speech, and other forms of therapy. While Jaimee, now 18, has not fully recovered from her paralysis, she has not let it hold her down. She is preparing to graduate high school and she’s been doing dual enrollment at Chattahoochee Tech. Inspired by the therapists who helped her, Jaimee plans on becoming a physical therapist at CHOA/Scottish Rite hospital.
Between welcoming a newborn and managing Jaimee's illness, Will and Renita's finances were strained. Both of them were out of work for months taking care of their children. This would be only the beginning of the family's financial difficulties.
In July 2021, Renita was diagnosed with stage four metastatic, invasive ductal carcinoma (a form of breast cancer), which had spread to her ribs, sternum, and back. She underwent emergency back surgery to prevent her from being paralyzed. The cancer had eaten through three of her vertebrae and there were three tumors on her spine. Renita was on chemotherapy for nine months, endured ten rounds of radiation, and has been taking a daily chemo pill ever since.
Renita has had to have her gallbladder removed and also had a partial hysterectomy. During her hysterectomy, as doctors removed the breathing tube, she accidentally bent down on it, which caused her teeth to break off at the roots. So, she had to go through the associated dental work.
In December of 2024, after her regular PET scan, Renita was diagnosed with a different form of breast cancer. Just this April, she had to have another surgery, partial mastectomy on her right side. She now has immunotherapy through a port every three weeks, she takes the daily chemo pill, and is facing 20 rounds of radiation.
Because Renita is a hair dresser, she has not been able to work since being diagnosed with cancer, leaving Will as the sole bread winner for his family. He has been her caretaker, and worked to be whatever his family needed during this time.
Recently, Will went to urgent care to receive a steroid shot. On the way home, he had what was thought to be a reaction to the medicine. He passed out, thereby wrecking, flipping and totaling the car. Shortly thereafter, their daughter was involved an automobile accident, also totaling her vehicle.
This February, Will got sick at work and was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with AML leukemia. As of this writing, he has been hospitalized for six weeks, waiting a bone marrow transplant. His wife is by his side even though she is fighting for her own life and already has a compromised immune system. Renita has not been able to be with Will since her own surgery and, as you can imagine, that is making things even more difficult.
This sweet family has undergone, and continues to battle, challenges most of us can only imagine. It's hard for them to not be discouraged, but they are grateful for an incredible community that loves them. Every time they encounter a new obstacle, they manage to find a smile. This is one of the most loving and caring families you will ever meet. Their hearts are genuinely pure and full of love. Their finances have suffered through the past several years and now that Will is not able to work, he will no longer have income. It's not known how this will affect Renita’s treatments since many of her things are not covered. Still, Renita has faith, saying, "I’ve given it all to Jesus, and I’m trusting that mountains will be moved and that we will all be made whole and restored and healed in Jesus name."