Help Leilani beat the "Cancer gene"
Donation protected
I have never been so afraid of any one word the way I am scared of the word Cancer. My mother had this dreaded disease twice in her life, both times it was breast cancer, and both times she had a mastectomy… only she didn’t survive the second bout. In October of 2014 I had a routine mammogram, but then, it wasn’t so routine. Doctors found what they’d hoped would be a calcification, only it wasn’t. The doctors told me that I needed to have a core biopsy, so in November of 2014 I had a needle stuck into my breast to gather tissue, and I hoped and prayed that the results would be cancer free. Instead, the doctors told me that they thought I had Atypical Ductile Hyperplasia (ADH is the stage before cancer), but that it could be Ductile Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS is stage 0 cancer) and that I would need a lumpectomy to find out which it was-which I had in January of 2015.
The results of the lumpectomy revealed that I had ADH and not DCIS. The doctors referred to the ADH as “pre-pre-cancer” and told me that if I had waited to get my mammogram that the ADH would have become cancer, and knowing my mother’s history, the presence of anything other than “normal” is especially worrisome for me. The doctors asked me if I was interested in having genetic testing done to determine if I have the defective cancer gene which I did on April 5, 2015 -just days after my father died. On May 19, 2015, the results of the genetics test revealed that I have the defective BRCA2 gene, which means that I have a higher risk for not only breast cancer, but also ovarian cancer, melanoma, and pancreatic cancer. Unless you are a swimmer in California like me, you cannot imagine what added terror of also being prone to melanoma brings me.
On August 10, 2015 I underwent a prophylactic double mastectomy which will be followed by a breast reconstruction surgery and removal of my ovaries and fallopian tubes on March 7, 2016. Even with the removal of my breast tissue, my ovaries and fallopian tubes I am not guaranteed a cancer-free life, but this surgery will reduce my risk by 90-98%, and (in my opinion) it’s the best option for me. The recovery for the first surgery is approximately 3 weeks, and the second surgery will require an approximate 9-11 week recovery period. In all, I will be incapacitated by surgery and/or recovery from surgery from August 10, 2015 through around the end of May, 2016.
I am asking for your help of a donation to help me pay for physical therapy (approximately $800-$1500), unexpected medications (approximately $400-$600), unexpected medical bills (approximately $4000-$6000 and possibly more), lost wages from my part-time job (approximately $400/mo.), transportation costs (approximately $500-$800 since I do not have a car and must now find an independent transportation agency as I have been expressly told NOT to take public transportation) to and from doctor’s appointments while I recover from this experience, and to help me reimburse my uncle for his airline fares (so far it’s over $500 from the first surgery date alone) since he will be flying half way across the country to help me during both of my recoveries for each surgery.
I am able to cover my rent, everyday bills, and food, but nothing more. This two part surgery is NOT an elective surgery, nor is it a wanted surgery, but it is a necessary surgery. I have already neared my yearly limit for physical therapy through my insurance, and some anesthesia and other surgical suite costs tend to typically be out-of-pocket for me. A social worker at the cancer center that I belong to told me that the agencies which provide financial assistance tend to only do so if a patient is seeking help for basic living expenses, AND that the patient must be actively undergoing cancer treatment (such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, etc.). This surgery will irreversibly change me physically, and it is already changing my self-perception, but cancer would do me much worse than this.
The doctors have all told me the same thing (yes, I sought a second opinion), that I could aggressively monitor my reproductive health, which does little to nothing to actually prevent cancer, or I could have this prophylactic surgery. I refuse to passively wait for cancer to claim me. I refuse cancer.
The results of the lumpectomy revealed that I had ADH and not DCIS. The doctors referred to the ADH as “pre-pre-cancer” and told me that if I had waited to get my mammogram that the ADH would have become cancer, and knowing my mother’s history, the presence of anything other than “normal” is especially worrisome for me. The doctors asked me if I was interested in having genetic testing done to determine if I have the defective cancer gene which I did on April 5, 2015 -just days after my father died. On May 19, 2015, the results of the genetics test revealed that I have the defective BRCA2 gene, which means that I have a higher risk for not only breast cancer, but also ovarian cancer, melanoma, and pancreatic cancer. Unless you are a swimmer in California like me, you cannot imagine what added terror of also being prone to melanoma brings me.
On August 10, 2015 I underwent a prophylactic double mastectomy which will be followed by a breast reconstruction surgery and removal of my ovaries and fallopian tubes on March 7, 2016. Even with the removal of my breast tissue, my ovaries and fallopian tubes I am not guaranteed a cancer-free life, but this surgery will reduce my risk by 90-98%, and (in my opinion) it’s the best option for me. The recovery for the first surgery is approximately 3 weeks, and the second surgery will require an approximate 9-11 week recovery period. In all, I will be incapacitated by surgery and/or recovery from surgery from August 10, 2015 through around the end of May, 2016.
I am asking for your help of a donation to help me pay for physical therapy (approximately $800-$1500), unexpected medications (approximately $400-$600), unexpected medical bills (approximately $4000-$6000 and possibly more), lost wages from my part-time job (approximately $400/mo.), transportation costs (approximately $500-$800 since I do not have a car and must now find an independent transportation agency as I have been expressly told NOT to take public transportation) to and from doctor’s appointments while I recover from this experience, and to help me reimburse my uncle for his airline fares (so far it’s over $500 from the first surgery date alone) since he will be flying half way across the country to help me during both of my recoveries for each surgery.
I am able to cover my rent, everyday bills, and food, but nothing more. This two part surgery is NOT an elective surgery, nor is it a wanted surgery, but it is a necessary surgery. I have already neared my yearly limit for physical therapy through my insurance, and some anesthesia and other surgical suite costs tend to typically be out-of-pocket for me. A social worker at the cancer center that I belong to told me that the agencies which provide financial assistance tend to only do so if a patient is seeking help for basic living expenses, AND that the patient must be actively undergoing cancer treatment (such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, etc.). This surgery will irreversibly change me physically, and it is already changing my self-perception, but cancer would do me much worse than this.
The doctors have all told me the same thing (yes, I sought a second opinion), that I could aggressively monitor my reproductive health, which does little to nothing to actually prevent cancer, or I could have this prophylactic surgery. I refuse to passively wait for cancer to claim me. I refuse cancer.
Organizer
Leilani Matthews
Organizer
Oakland, CA
