Whaleyville couple hope for a better year

It’s been a tough year for Lee and Butch White.

Since last Christmas, Lee has overcome breast cancer, endured 11 surgeries, experienced a variety of complications with her treatments, and lost her mother and dog. But Butch has been right by her side to support her and cheer her up.

For the past year, he has juggled his business, doing the house and yard work and taking his wife of 18 years to her appointments. For Christmas, though, he wanted to do something significant for her.

Lee spent most of last December in the hospital recovering from a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer two months earlier.

But when she was released late Christmas Eve, she had a surprise waiting for her at home.

“I came home and my husband has put up tons of lights,” she said. “It was like driving up to a winter wonderland.”

While she was away, Butch had strung hundreds of lights in the trees and bushes and placed several illuminated figures on the couple’s lawn.

“I just wanted to have something out here when she came home,” he said. “I wanted to bring some joy to her Christmas, because we’ve been through so much.”

Lee said they used to decorate their home in the center of the city, but this was a surprise.

“We used to put lights up in Suffolk but not like this,” she said.

The Whites hoped 2011 would herald a change in their fortunes, but it wasn’t to be.

In January, Lee lost her mother, who had gone into a coma right after they moved to Whaleyville, and the day after she was buried, the couple had to put their beloved Yorkshire terrier, YumYum, to sleep.

Lee said she wanted to be the one to do it, because Butch was so attached to YumYum, but she didn’t feel well enough.

“That was one of the hardest things I’ve done,” Butch said.

In his decorating frenzy this year, Butch even put lights on YumYum’s grave.

The couple suffered another blow this year when Lee developed congestive heart failure and couldn’t complete her chemotherapy treatments.

Luckily, she said, she got through four of the six planned treatments, and she is now cancer-free.

But Lee wasn’t out of the woods just yet — she developed a staph injection last month during her reconstruction surgery.

“I was hoping to put the lights up with him this year,” she said. “But I still wasn’t feeling up to it.”

But Butch happily put the decorations out to spread the Christmas spirit.

Despite everything she has been through in the past year, Lee said, she feels lucky to have a supportive husband and hopeful she’s made it through the worst.

“God’s hand has been on my shoulder every minute,” Lee said. “Butch has done everything he possibly could.”

“I’m the richest woman in the world,” she said. “Honey, I am blessed.”