My Aunt Kathi Medical Fundraiser

My name is Brian Elliott.

Since 2012, I have been the primary caregiver of my aunt Kathi Elliott, who, at the time, was living alone in a small apartment in Lexington, Kentucky. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1990 following a series of rough symptoms that appeared almost 9 years earlier. She has lived in many different homes since then, and has been given assistance from many friends to help her fight this horrible disease for almost 30 years; in that time she has shown incredible resolve and courage while being in and out of nursing homes, sickness, the loss of her ability to walk and expensive private nursing care.

Before I came to help her in the Spring of 2012, she had no help outside of nurses she had to pay out of pocket for, which left her owing roughly $18,000 in credit card debt in under a year. She would wake up alone, soiled, weak, depressed, and desperately in need of assistance for the very basic things in life such as a shower, help with the bathroom, eating, and having fresh water. These mornings and evenings became a routine for her until I made the choice to leave Columbus, Ohio to provide her the care she needed in Lexington. Every day since then has been physically strenuous on the both of us, but it was for the very best to provide Kathi the quality of life and dignity she deserves to have.

Over the course of the past year and a half, Kathi has endured intense discomfort in her abdomen, which she initially believed to be a problem with an indwelling catheter she has had since 2011. At her request, I called an ambulance on the 31st of August after her pain was too much to bear.
It wasn't long until the hospital staff at the University of Kentucky medical center diagnosed her with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer in the early morning of September 1st, 2016. This news has devastated our family and friends. Kathi has already been through a tremendous amount of stress and heartache that no one could describe, and this truly will be the hardest fight she has had thus far. In March of this year, she fell out of her wheelchair while in the bathroom and subsequently fractured her femur, which required an emergency surgery and a very rough recovery in various nursing care facilities. Although insurance helped pay for the aforementioned leg surgery that was initially billed at $40,000, she has been paying off the remainder since then.
To put it bluntly, she has been through a lot - more than anyone I know, and she needs help.

A friend suggested that I look into making a fundraiser to help provide for any incurring costs we will have from this point forward. She will be given chemotherapy in the near future, and will be moved to a nursing facility in the meantime. This will be very costly for her - physically, emotionally, and financially.

I have done everything I can for my aunt for the last 4 years - and am still doing what I can to provide assistance even now when I am facing the possibility that I may not be able to care for her any more. She has provided a roof over my head and a place to call home when I was lost, alone, and struggling myself, and I will never be able to repay her fully for that.

Although there is a small income it will not be sufficient enough to pay for future medical and nursing home expenses that she will incur while fighting for her life and I am here to ask for any assistance at all to help provide for the costs she will face down the road. We are praying for the best and preparing for the worst. My aunt Kathi is the sweetest person I know, and I don't know anyone else who has suffered more than her.

I do not even know what amount to list, as this is the first time I've ever made a fundraiser or a gofundme. I wish this wasn't the case. I wish that Kathi wasn't sick and that no family - no matter what they have or do not have - ever experiences such a horrible, terrible disease. Cancer is a household name, but misery doesn't have to be. I wish that Kathi wasn't sick but the reality is that she is very sick, and she needs help.

I am asking any community or individual who could spare anything, at all, to help raise money for my aunt. 100% of any donation made will go to any additional bills incurred as a result of her cancer. Kathi has spent her life fighting diseases, and we know that she will bounce back from this. The number I have listed is just a number, not a goal. Anything given to her will help.

I thank you all for your time and consideration - and I implore you:
if anyone in your family is experiencing pain or odd activity in their body, always make a note to screen it for cancer. Get regular exams and protect your family because family is the most important thing in life.

Thank you.
- Brian
9 / 6 / 2016