Main fundraiser photo

Ann's Dog House Bridge

First off thanks to our dear friends Mitzi and Megan who put together this GoFundMe page for us.

I will try to make sure I update this page weekly with Ann's progress of BEATING this.

From Mitzi and Megan:
Did you know that November is Pancreatic Cancer awareness month? Think purple ribbons and Steve Jobs. Sadly, our good friend Ann Parlapiano shares something in common with him. And that’s why we’re wearing a lot of purple here. You see, our good friend—a great girl from Rockford, Illinois—was just diagnosed at 42 with stage 2 pancreatic cancer. Trust us: Nothing good will come of Googling pancreatic cancer. In a nutshell, it is dire. It rocks your world. We’re going to fight. Please join us in this fight and if you can, this Go Fund Me request.

This story starts with our former Rockford neighbor and forever friend/partner in crime, Kit Schoonmaker. Kit met Ann in the early 90s and they have been “married” for 20 years. Once WA legalized gay marriage they were finally 2 legit to quit. Ann is loved by her huge Italian family and speaks of them often. How many stories start with Grandma Rose and Grandma Giovingo? Well, A LOT!  Kit and Ann have had some ups and downs but they know they have it pretty darn good. Yes. Kit has been dealing with the loss of her job in tech which has depleted their reserves, but the silver lining is she and Ann have been able to spend time together and enjoy life. Now, they’ve become a force that is ready to kick cancer’s ass.

Ann is an X-Ray technologist and works at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, WA. She is known by friends and colleagues as a jokester (she poo poo’d “ray of sunshine” but that’s also true). Life was plugging right along and Ann, who has always thought she was like Doctor House, self-diagnosed herself with gallbladder issues and sought medical treatment recently. She ended up having her gallbladder removed and was bummed she had to stay off work for 4 weeks (there’s no such thing as light duty when you’re an X-Ray tech). Midway into recovery, Kit and Ann got the call no one wants. Ann was told she had pancreatic cancer, stage 2 to be exact. This is not what anyone wants to hear. So, we drank a little and then we thought we should adult.

This diagnosis came from out of nowhere. Being 42 years old, Ann’s medical team said she was too young for this type of cancer. Ann’s condition has to be treated aggressively by specialists to remove the cancer from her pancreas. This procedure is called a Whipple surgery. It’s a very invasive and includes a Frankenstein-like approach that involves removing part of the pancreas, stomach, duodenum (you can Google that), and then attaching the liver duct back into the small intestine. The second silver lining: they caught this relatively early. Ann still has options and qualified for the surgery. Yay!? Had she not, we’d be making end-of-life choices. NO WAY!

Ann’s Whipple surgery is scheduled for November 21st. Adulting includes a second opinion so she has one of those lined up too. PANCREATIC CANCER calls for a second opinion. You want to get your team right.

The good news is they have two cars that are paid off and they are current on their house payment. The reason for this Go Fund Me request is that cancer is expensive (even with insurance) and we don’t want worry to take away from Ann’s fight, or Kit’s strength that Ann will need. Speaking of needs: Ann will also need a full-time caregiver and that isn’t covered by insurance. Kit has already started to drive Uber while Ann sleeps, but soon she won’t be able to be away. These two require lots of help. This is going to be a battle that will deplete every last resource these two have.

If you have ever met Ann, please join us in this fight. If you have never met Ann, know that your donation will not just affect her but everyone who loves and supports her - including her menagerie of Chihuahuas.

Ann is a fighter, and while there are tears, she is keeping her sense of humor. If you can donate please know that every dollar will be spent wisely on medical treatments, traveling expenses to obtain treatment from specialists, and help with the loss of Ann’s income. Depending on recovery we don’t know when Ann will be able to return to work. What we know now is that the Whipple surgery comes with an 8-12 week recovery. One month after her surgery she starts aggressive chemotherapy and will participate in an additional radiation study for 6 months. Unfortunately, there is a 50% chance that the cancer will return within 2 years. Financial burden can be one of the worst challenges going into cancer treatment.  If you can spare anything, please donate to the cause so she can focus on fighting.

Kit and Ann wanted to make sure that we send thanks to all of the family members and friends from both sides that have been their rock since the diagnosis. Please keep this love flowing big time.

**How did we come to the figure of $50,000? We went to Go Fund me and read stories about other pancreatic cancer survivors. We also Googled pancreatic cancer and we are going to tell you cancer is expensive.


Thanks Ann's local support team.
 
 

 

 


 

Donate

Donations 

  • Leanne Sutter
    • $50 
    • 6 yrs
Donate

Organizer

Kit N Ann
Organizer
Tacoma, WA

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily.

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about.

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the  GoFundMe Giving Guarantee.