Help Mary Beat Cancer


My mother is a fighter. This has been true for probably her whole life (and definitely for the last 20 years).  Up until now, she has asked little of others.  Cancer has a way of changing that. Now, we as a family are asking for your support to manage Mary's mounting medical bills. This includes costs of transportation to and from the hospital for testing and treatment. Any donation, card, thought, or prayer is welcome, needed, and deeply appreciated.  

In 1996, Mary began experiencing extreme pain and random paralysis.  After months of testing and becoming reliant on a wheel chair, it became clear that she could no longer work. Reluctantly, she retired from traditional employment and became a full time mom and wife.

 I remember shortly after she became sick asking my mother if she was going to die. Her response was, "Not any time soon." She didn't know if that was true and had no medically sound way of knowing.  We had no diagnosis. She knew because she had too much left to do and too many people who loved her. She proved herself right. 

After 10 long years, we finally received a diagnosis of Lupus paired with other lesser diagnoses including Firomyalgia, Osteoporosis, etc. Mary learned to manage her daily pain with medications and lifestyle changes. She fought to get out of her wheelchair, won, and now hasn't used it in many years. Instead, she now relies only on a cane and sheer will.  Through all of this she also found a way to still make it to school concerts, graduations, the births of her grandchildren, and to be emotionally available to her daughters, friends, and family.  Like I said, she is a fighter. 


While things haven't been easy, Mary has made the best of all that life has thrown at her and this cancer diagnosis has been no different. 


In September of 2016, Mary was rushed to the hospital as her left lung had collapsed. She was hospitalized and spent the next month carrying a portable device to keep her lung inflated while enduring a battery of tests. The tests revealed 2 tumors, one in each lung. Despite the seriousness of this situation, these tumors could not be addressed until the collapsed lung was resolved. My sister, Rachel, and I came down to visit our mother. She made jokes about her machines and gushed about how much she loved her medical staff. She even started planning out what blankets she wanted to crochet for them. 


Despite the risks, mom underwent emergency surgery to reinflate and strengthen her damaged, collapsed lung. We were so blessed that the surgery was successful and elated when she was eventually released from the hospital. One battle won. 


As her collapsed lung has been addressed, for the time being, we have moved on to the next stage in Mary's war against cancer.  Due to the fragility of Mary's lungs and the danger of lung collapse, surgery to remove the tumors is not an option. Mary was prescribed radiation therapy with the goal of shrinking and hopefully completely destroying these tumors to prevent further spread of cancer.  Mary is scheduled to begin radiation therapy on May 10th and will be treated 5 days per week for 7 weeks at Cookeville Hospital, in Tennessee. This hospital is an hour drive from her home in Moss, TN. Mary and her husband, Steve, will need to commute daily. 

On top of fighting cancer, Mary is also fighting her insurance company, which often disputes paying for much needed care and, when willing to pay, only covers 80% of medical expenses. At this point, before radiation, Mary has already accumulated $3,000 in medical debt. This amount is growing with each medical appointment and treatment. The average cost of lung cancer treatment varies wildly per person, but according to  NIH , the cost for the first year of treatment averages around $60,000, after insurance. We are optimistically hoping that Mary's costs will be less.

To further complicate matters, Mary's husband, Steve, experienced an intestinal blockage and has undergone 3 surgeries within the past 2 years to address the blockage and subsequent damage and complications. As a result, he and Mary have been managing medical debt for his health concerns, making Mary's already difficult situation even more so.

Help us prepare for Mary's life throughout and after cancer treatment. Again, donations, words of encouragement, and prayers are welcome. Thank you for your time and thank you, in advance, for your kindness. 


Sincerely, 

Mary's Husband (Steve) and Daughters (Rachel and Angelique).