This Kennewick couple suffered 2 crises at once. Group seeks big push to help them

Ask anyone who knows Brian and Moana England, and they will say involvement in the community is a huge part of who they are.

Now the family needs the community’s involvement, family friend Theresa Stahl said.

“Almost everybody you talk to adores them,” Stahl said. “They’re very kind.”

The Kennewick family’s world was recently turned upside down by serious medical issues, Stahl said.

What was thought was a sinus infection turned out a rare form of cancer, family friend Brooke Barney said.

In May, Moana England was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. She started treatment at Stanford University at the beginning of July.

Brian, Moana and their three small children temporarily moved to Palo Alto, California, for her treatment. Moana England is upbeat and positive about it, Barney said.

Then on Tuesday, the family was dealt another blow.

Brian England collapsed, Barney said and now he’s in an intensive care unit.

A GoFundMe page was started for the England family. It’s flooded with well wishes and comments about the family.

“You just read those comments,” Stahl said. “Those are genuine comments, and that is Brian and Moana every day.”

Barney said a group of people are coming together to help raise awareness about what the family’s struggles.

“It just seems like there needs to be a bigger push,” Barney said. “We’re all doing what we can, but at this point I don’t know even if that’s going to be enough.”

Friends of the England family are hosting a bake sale from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Keewaydin Park in Kennewick. Donations will be collected and added to the page’s total.

This story was originally published August 3, 2018 at 7:37 PM.