Longtime Joliet daycare provider ‘GaGa Cindy’ battling rare and incurable cancer

Maybe it’s irritable bowel syndrome. May it’s gall bladder disease.

These were two of the diagnoses that Cindy Kolodziej of Joliet considered when she first began experiencing vague abdominal symptoms, Cindy’s daughter-in-law Amber Kolodziej of Joliet said.

So Cindy, a home daycare provider for more than 35 years, went to see her doctor, who decided to order some scans, Amber said. But before Cindy could have the scans, she suddenly had excruciating pain and wound up in the emergency department, Amber said.

Cindy has since had surgery and begun chemotherapy for signet ring cell carcinoma, a rare form of cancer that can start in various organs, most commonly the stomach. In Cindy’s case, it began in her colon, making that cancer extremely rare, according to the National Institute of Health.

However, Cindy has found an oncologist who is helping her fight, Amber said.

“Her grandkids are her life,” Amber said. “She wants to be around for them.”

Amber said that Cindy’s fifth grandchild Andrew II was born while Cindy was in the hospital. Cindy and her husband Tom are the parents of Alex Kolodziej, Kristen Wyss, Mike Kolodziej and Andrew Kolodziej. They are the grandparents of Quinn, 3; Kendall, 1; Brooklyn, 11; Nolan 9; and newborn Andrew II.

But even with plenty of grandhildren to keep her busy, Cindy is very disappointed that she won’t be returning to daycare, Amber said. That’s why Amber started the “GaGa Cindy needs our help” GoFundMe account for Cindy, to help pay for medical expenses and replace some of Cindy’s lost income.

“She thought she’d be watching kids until she was 80 and couldn’t do it anymore,” Amber said. “She never thought of stopping.”

Amber said Cindy has taken care of kids “from morning to night” while others would “stop by her house for a couple of hours.” Except for pre-planned vacations, Cindy never took a day off work because she didn’t want the parents scrambling for other arrangements.

“She always put them first, her own kids and her daycare kids,” Amber said. “They were always number one.”

Cindy usually worked the day after a holiday (and Cindy typically hosted and cooked for the holiday, Amber said) because she knew parents still needed someone to care for their children, Amber said. It’s amazing how many families have either hired Cindy to watch their kids or know someone who did, Amber added.

“She’s probably raised half of Joliet,” Amber said. “It’s time to take of her now.”

Amber said Cindy’s came home about a week and a half ago and is starting to feel better and find a new routine.

“The color is coming back to her face,” Amber said. “She likes hydration sticks better than Pedialyte. She can’t drink water but she can eat popsicles. She’s slowly learning what her body will tolerate to make sure she keeps her weight up and stays hydrated.”

So far, the “GaGa Cindy” needs our help GoFundMe page is doing well and that is, In part, to the relationships Cindy has built over the years, Amber said. Amber’s husband Mike played football at Joliet Catholic Academy and University of Michigan, and Cindy is still friends with the parents of his friends, Amber said.

In fact, Cindy used to transport parents to Michigan for the games and host the tailgate parties, Amber said, adding that her mother-in-law is the old-fashioned type. Life revolves around taking care of her family, she said.

“Family is all that matters to her. That’s why this has been so tough,” Amber said. “She just wants things back to normal.”

To donate, visit https://gofund.me/61a2f462