Amanda and Clint Kofoed were filming a GoFundMe video in a coffee shop, expressing thanks to people who had donated to help the Idaho couple defray medical expenses. In October, Amanda, a 30-year-old mother of four, had been diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma and funds had been coming in steadily for the Nampa resident.
The couple got an even bigger boost as they made their video at the Flying M Coffee Garage, the Idaho Statesman reported. A flash mob of friends passed by the Kofoeds' table, leaving $100 bills until more than $13,000 had been dropped in front of the tearful couple.
“I saw people I hadn't seen in years,” Amanda told the Statesman. “They were crying and we were crying.”
The flash mob was the work of the Praynksters, a Boise-based group with a goal of creating "acts of kindness that surprise people," according to co-founder Jesse Fadel. Along with fellow co-founder Jeffrey Paul — a friend of the Kofoeds who is also a cancer survivor — the group gave a huge donation to Amanda, who does not have health insurance.
“It's a picture of what a great person Amanda is that so many people showed up, and it's a testament to our community,” Fadel, whose family was the first through the door with a donation, told the Statesman.
Until her cancer diagnosis, Amanda was a student in her final semester at Northwest Nazarene University, studying to become a teacher. Clint works for the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage. He has health insurance through his job, but it cost too much to insure Amanda, the Statesman reported. Their four children are on Medicaid and Amanda said she was planning to get on Clint’s health plan in January. And then came the diagnosis.
However, the survival rate of Hodgkin's is good, and the Kofoeds said they were optimistic.
"It's kind of like winning the cancer lottery, from what I understand," said Amanda, who has been able to start treatment already thanks to the funds raised by the Praynksters and the GoFundMe campaign. By early Saturday, the Kofoeds’ GoFundMe account had received more than $41,000 in donations; the original goal was $25,000.
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