Miss PA Stage to Stage 4 Cancer :(

I am starting this Go Fund Me page in the hopes to raise enough money to keep my great friend, Marla, alive. Marla (Miss Pennsylvania 90-91) had a thyroidectomy and semi neck dissection on October 8th. Late August her life changed forever when she suffered a stroke, and while assessing the damage of the stroke with an MRI, they found a mass in her thyroid. Marla had stage 4 thyroid carcinoma and the tumor was 6 1/2" long, jeopardizing her airway and therefor causing the risk of suffocation to be very high. Clearly, this was an extremely urgent and technical surgery with the jugular, parathyroid, vocal cords, nerves, and trachea all a bit strangled by the mass. They weren't sure Marla would survive the surgery and by the grace of some higher power, she did. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of her medical journey as they are checking pathology to know whether the thyroid was the primary location of the cancer or if there was a metastasis somewhere else in her body. It has been hinted that there may be lung involvement. I met Marla in 1995 when she and her family moved into our old neighborhood in MD. We very quickly became the closest of friends as we had boys the same age. She is an incredibly loving, giving, and selfless person with whom I miss having right next door. She moved to PA in 1999, as her husbands job demanded. Regrettably, we both got caught up in raising our children and only spoke occasionally through the years. About 7 years ago, I felt this need to reach out to Marla and reignite the friendship we had. Oddly enough, Marla really needed me then. Her husband had recently left her with an unpaid mortgage and their then infant daughter needing brain surgery. The heartache just goes on and on. Marla is a single Mom raising her 7 year old daughter, and because of both their needs, she has not been able to go back to work. To make matters worse, she has no health insurance.  All the costs incurred medically to this point, and those that she will encounter as this unfolds, is all self pay. Marla and her 3 kids a few years ago

I ask that you please share Marla's story, and if you can, kindly make a donation that will go directly to Marla's Medical Fund and help to pay for previous and future medical expenses. Any donation can help. Donating is easy, just click on the link below and you can donate instantly. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much,
Debbie Malpass