Virginia Lyon Cancer Bills
Donation protected
What are the odds of having Breast Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, and Melanoma all at once? I would have thought it was impossible, but my sister proved me wrong. This goFundMe request is for my sister, Virginia Lyon, who has been fighting a tough battle for the last year. Virginia has been trying her best to stay strong for herself and her daughters this past year while facing a terrifying battle with cancer. On top of her emotional battle, she is also struggling with the weight of a mountain of medical bills, a high mortgage (on a house currently under water), a divorce, and the stress of trying to work full time to keep afloat. Can you help her? ANYTHING you could spare will be a significant help to her and greatly appreciated, no amount is too small!
It started just over a year ago, with a routine physical. Her thyroid was enlarged, she had a suspicious spot on her arm, and it was time for her first mammogram. The first bad news was a call after the mammogram. The biopsy results were invasive ductal carcinoma (cancer). Unfortunately, that was just the start. Next came Virginia’s thyroid result, which showed several nodes and a biopsy was scheduled on June 18th, 2014. The biopsy showed papillary thyroid cancer and a follicular neoplasm (which also proved to be cancerous).
The breast cancer surgery was June 26th, 2014, a mastectomy. Then the thyroid surgery was on July 24th, 2014. It was a long surgery. The cancer was pressing on her vocal cords, so it took time to delicately remove it without leaving her speechless, literally.
Then the dermatologist. The suspicious spot was a small melanoma, and they had to go back a second time to get clean margins.
There were some complications from the thyroid surgery. Another cancer patient (and dear friend) let her know the symptoms weren’t normal and sent her to the emergency room; her blood calcium levels were dangerously low. It took nearly a week in the hospital and another series of doctor appointments and medications to stabilize it. Of all the hospitalizations, this one was the scariest for us. And, as many of you likely know, emergency room visits and overnight hospital stays are significant expenses. Hospital charges to patients are astronomical!
Chemo for the breast cancer started September 11, 2014 and her last chemo was December 22nd. She slept through Christmas that year, but we celebrated the end of chemo. She was exhausted, nauseous, in pain, lost all of her hair, and still a long way from winning her battle with cancer. Radiation for the breast cancer came next. That started January 7th, 2015. A new calendar year, which means a whole new insurance deductible and a whole new calendar year out-of-pocket total. If you ever get cancer, try to get it at the beginning of a year…. (that’s a joke, I know you can’t control these things). Radiation went five days a week for five weeks. Radiation burns. It burns the skin, it burns the underlying tissue. It hurts.
The radioactive iodine treatment for the thyroid (in March 2015) was out-patient. This was March 18th, 2015. They give you a pill and send you out into the world radioactive. The difficulty with this treatment is that for the first three days you can’t be within six (6) feet of anyone, including her pets and her two daughters (one of whom is only 13). You have to spend the entire time alone. You can’t stay in a hotel. You have to wash your sheets and clothes daily, along with a whole host of restrictions.
Virginia still has to face the reconstruction surgery (and thus another pricey hospital stay) once the burns fully heal from the radiation. Any donations are welcome and will go directly to paying off the medical bills. She has fought so hard this past year to beat several different cancers, please help her fight by helping her pay her medical expenses.
It started just over a year ago, with a routine physical. Her thyroid was enlarged, she had a suspicious spot on her arm, and it was time for her first mammogram. The first bad news was a call after the mammogram. The biopsy results were invasive ductal carcinoma (cancer). Unfortunately, that was just the start. Next came Virginia’s thyroid result, which showed several nodes and a biopsy was scheduled on June 18th, 2014. The biopsy showed papillary thyroid cancer and a follicular neoplasm (which also proved to be cancerous).
The breast cancer surgery was June 26th, 2014, a mastectomy. Then the thyroid surgery was on July 24th, 2014. It was a long surgery. The cancer was pressing on her vocal cords, so it took time to delicately remove it without leaving her speechless, literally.
Then the dermatologist. The suspicious spot was a small melanoma, and they had to go back a second time to get clean margins.
There were some complications from the thyroid surgery. Another cancer patient (and dear friend) let her know the symptoms weren’t normal and sent her to the emergency room; her blood calcium levels were dangerously low. It took nearly a week in the hospital and another series of doctor appointments and medications to stabilize it. Of all the hospitalizations, this one was the scariest for us. And, as many of you likely know, emergency room visits and overnight hospital stays are significant expenses. Hospital charges to patients are astronomical!
Chemo for the breast cancer started September 11, 2014 and her last chemo was December 22nd. She slept through Christmas that year, but we celebrated the end of chemo. She was exhausted, nauseous, in pain, lost all of her hair, and still a long way from winning her battle with cancer. Radiation for the breast cancer came next. That started January 7th, 2015. A new calendar year, which means a whole new insurance deductible and a whole new calendar year out-of-pocket total. If you ever get cancer, try to get it at the beginning of a year…. (that’s a joke, I know you can’t control these things). Radiation went five days a week for five weeks. Radiation burns. It burns the skin, it burns the underlying tissue. It hurts.
The radioactive iodine treatment for the thyroid (in March 2015) was out-patient. This was March 18th, 2015. They give you a pill and send you out into the world radioactive. The difficulty with this treatment is that for the first three days you can’t be within six (6) feet of anyone, including her pets and her two daughters (one of whom is only 13). You have to spend the entire time alone. You can’t stay in a hotel. You have to wash your sheets and clothes daily, along with a whole host of restrictions.
Virginia still has to face the reconstruction surgery (and thus another pricey hospital stay) once the burns fully heal from the radiation. Any donations are welcome and will go directly to paying off the medical bills. She has fought so hard this past year to beat several different cancers, please help her fight by helping her pay her medical expenses.
Organizer and beneficiary
Vivian Saegesser
Organizer
Aurora, IL
Virginia Lyon
Beneficiary
