Betsy Guzenski
Two years prior to her diagnosis...
Paul’s father had a stroke and Betsy became the main caregiver for her husband. She had been feeling unwell, but put her own comfort and self care aside to prioritize the ones she loved. This is of course not a choice her family would have asked her to make, but she made ‘the mom decision’ and put her own well being on hold. Sadly, by the time she went to the doctor two years later in the spring of 2019, the situation was dire..
May 23rd was the day she told her only son that she was going for a biopsy. Eight days later the results came back and she had stage 4 Triple Negative Breast Cancer. With family surrounding and supporting her, she went for surgery on June 11th to try and ease some of her pain. June 18th, 2019 she passed away from a disease that she had been fighting silently for 2 years.
In total, there were only 26 days from her first doctor's visit to her untimely passing.
Elisabeth “Betsy” Guzenski was a K-6 special education teacher for 33 years. Her life was spent putting others first, and building a safe and inclusive classroom and school for everyone. She was president of her local Historical society, she worked with the Sprouts program (an offshoot of the Girl Scouts) and she loved gardening.
It seems through all that she did, her true lifes purpose was being a loving wife and world class mother. Her son Paul was raised to “be the change you want to see in the world”. She would take Paul on hikes, and passed on her own fathers affinity for being a “naturalist” type. Her love of nature and trees clearly led her son to his success as an Arborist.
She touched the lives of everyone she met, and her legacy through Spruce up Anchorage ensures she can continue to change the world for the better.
The mission of SUA includes the donation of trees which is fully funded by PTS and the monetary/experiential donations to families who are affected by breast cancer. However, our mission runs deeper than this.
If her story can be the push for women and people to put their health first, then we have succeeded. SUA wants to raise awareness that early detection may not be enough; early action and care can save lives.