Help Emily Beat Cancer
The Backstory.
On April 27th, Emily was rushed to the ER for suspected appendicitis. Ultrasounds and CT scans revealed a large mass near her uterus, and began five month journey of blood tests, more ultrasounds and CT scans, weekly doctor's appointments and the long, uphill battle of "which oncologist takes our insurance?" At last, we were referred to Dr. Rutherford at Tampa General's Cancer Center, where at last we got answers and an action plan.
Emily has a 7 inch tumor attached to both her uterus and her bowel. I'm sure you're reading this thinking "well, that sounds painful!" and you're absolutely correct, it is. 7 inches of tumor is nothing to sneeze at, and Dr. Rutherford wants it removed as soon as possible. October 12th soon, actually, which is both a relief and a constant source of stress and fear in our home. We've been told, "trust me" in the same breath as "I don't know yet if it's cancerous, we will have to take it to pathology during surgery" as well as, "how do you feel about never having kids, we may have to do a full hysterectomy". It's been a wild, emotional ride that is hopefully, hopefully, soon coming to a happy end. All through this, Emily has remained unfailingly optimistic, flitting here and there making plans for taking her midterm exams the week of her surgery, studying during her recovery, holding the hands of everyone who should be comforting her and telling them, "everything is going to be just fine".
That's why I have made this GoFundMe, so that those who love her, and those that hear her story and love it, can help her be just fine.
Update and The Diagnosis.
When I started this GoFundMe, we were hoping that it was a benign tumor and that after an exhausting and intense surgery, Emily would be going home. This was not the case. Emily was diagnosed with Stage IIB Endometrioid Ovarian Cancer on October 12th, 2018, and had the pathology confirmed on October 25th. It was not the best news, but not the worst, and it's the small blessings that you have to hold on to. On October 31st she had her chemo port placed and on November 5th she will begin her first of six cycles of chemotherapy spread over the next five months with the hope to cure this.
Throughout all of this, Emily has remained hopeful and optimistic, still her cheerful, wonderful self even as the pain and the exhaustion -- mental, emotional and physical -- sets in.
The Plan.
October 12th has come and gone and brought bad news, but from here we push on. Chemotherapy begins November 5th, every three weeks for six cycles ending in about five months, or approximately April 2019. After that, Emily gets at least two scans and various other tests to make sure that she is, indeed, cancer free. At that point we all stop holding our breath and look to the future. She will need to see Dr. Rutherford every three months for the next few years, and as she has a pre-disposition to hereditary cancers, such as ovarian cancer, there is a chance it could come back so she -- and those her love her -- will need to be hyperaware of changes in her health and she will need yearly or biyearly visits to either Dr. Rutherford or another oncologist to monitor her health.
The Costs Involved.
We are still paying on the initial $2300 ER bill. We have a $7500 deductible for our insurance and as of 11/2/2018, the time of this update, we do not have the complete bill for her surgery, three days in the hospital post surgery, the follow-up and blood tests, and an emergency room visit from a week after the surgery. We have been paying on what we do know in chunks from what we have raised so far. Future costs include the chemotherapy treatments and all the tests and treatments that go with them, appointments with Dr. Rutherford, medications and prescriptions that she will need, diet and lifestyle changes, emergency room copays (which will hopefully not be needed) and continued care for her while she beats this cancer and recovers. 100% of funds raised is going directly to costs related to her care and recovery, and anything raised in excess of the goal will be put to her future appointments and aftercare.
Why Should You Help?
Let me tell you about my wife.
She cannot walk past a bird without speaking sweetly to it. You can find her always looking up at a blue jay or a sea gull, a pigeon or a crow, telling them how handsome or lovely they are, feeding them -- even if she really, really shouldn't encourage such behavior -- and rattling off facts about them, their diets or habits or plumage. Everyone who knows her calls her "Bird", and knows that a flock of crows means that there she'll be, standing in the middle and tossing out unsalted, unroasted peanuts in the shells and telling them to stay out of traffic.
There's not a history book she hasn't read. Ask her anything about anything, and she'll give you an abridged history of it. From ancient Rome to the courts of Louis XVI, the American Revolution to the Industrial Revolution, everything and anything in between. Ask her about Marie Antoinette and she'll tear up, telling you about classism first and propaganda next. Ask her about the history of Florida and you're in for a real treat and a long lecture, one that starts with that trademark grin and the question, "where should I start"? It's no surprise that Emily is studying history, and now in her third year of college she's absolutely certain of how important historic preservation is. "We need to preserve this history", she will say, looking sadly at some building downtown scheduled to be torn down for new apartments. "We are losing so much". Specifically, she wants to be a local historian, a Florida historian. Florida is weird, someone needs to talk about just how weird it really is.
There's nothing Emily wouldn't do for her friends. There's less she wouldn't do for a stranger in need. She's kind to everyone she meets, always smiling, always complimenting. I've seen her apologize to inanimate objects she's bumped into. There are so few genuinely good people in the world, and she's one of them. She cries at nature documentaries because she thinks the world is so beautiful. She makes up songs about her two cats as she carries them around the house, laughing when they meow in time to her songs. She drinks too much coffee and covers her eyes during horror movies and her favorite food is broccoli cheddar soup.
Why should you help? Because she deserves a chance. No one deserves cancer, and maybe I am biased, but Emily deserves it least of all. I have never known someone stronger, braver, more kind or more gentle than my wife. She is my inspiration every day and helps me see that people are good, people are inherently good and there is so much good in this world. That every day is a blessing. She deserves to get better, to look forward to the future and not be afraid or hurting or sick. She deserves to finish her degree and to become a historian. She deserves to heal with dignity and not have to worry about the details, to just focus on getting better so she can continue to contribute her light to this world.