MILWAUKEE — A group of strangers in Milwaukee stepped away from their holiday weekend to gather in prayer for a woman that doctors said has only weeks to live.
Ande Kaczynski’s family reached out to TMJ4 News for help sharing her story to get as many people as possible to pray for a miracle.
At a candlelight vigil Saturday night Heidi Gottwald was among a small but determined group of well-wishers who answered the call.
"It was just a strong intrinsic pull that I needed to come here and do this,” Gottwald said.
The vigil at Grace Lutheran Church was organized by Kaczynski’s stepdad Thomas Bruton, to encourage the 38-year-old in her fight to live.
Kaczynski is battling an infection with the odds of survival stacked against her.
"As soon as the first person showed up, I was already glad,” Bruton said. “People have been awesome.”
Kaczynski joined the group on a video call from her hospital room at St. Luke’s Hospital near the church.
Supporters took turns saying hello as they prayed for her recovery before breaking out in carols to bring Kaczynski some much-needed holiday cheer.
“Everybody needs people to support them, whether you know them or not,” Gottwald said. “There’s probably enough bad going on that if you could do something, just something, just even to let this family know that people care.”
Check out: Strangers pray for a miracle, hold candlelight vigil for dying woman
Bruton said he was not only thankful for those who turned up at Saturday’s vigil but also for the many people who have reached out to the family online.
“We love all of them,” he said.
Kaczynski’s family has also launched a GoFundMe in the hopes that the 38-year-old will have the resources she needs to get back on her feet should she defy the odds.
Bruton said, before she was hospitalized, his daughter struggled with homelessness and drug use but was working on turning her life around.
If she doesn’t make it as family hope, Bruton said they plan to divide the funds among Kaczynski’s five children.
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