Bailey's Battle

BAILEY'S BATTLE

Bailey has been part of the Esthetics Plus family for as long as we can remember. First as a memorable client, then territory manager and educator and back to memorable client and contract educator. Bailey is passionate about our industry, about helping people and living life. She is that good hearted person everyone needs in their life.  

In November 2015 Bailey’s life would begin to change yet she had no idea.  It started with a stomach pain that would come and go if she stood for long periods of time. She booked a doctor’s appointment; her regular family doctor was away so she saw the physician filling in.  This physician, didn’t feel around her abdomen or dig into the issue and chalked the pain up to "poor posture".

In spring of 2016 Bailey mentioned this ongoing pain again to her family doctor who sent her for blood work to check for a possible ulcer. Blood work came back fine and her doctor suggested it might be muscular.

At this time Bailey had a new challenge come into her life. The beginning of a divorce. Bailey had been happily married for years and was completely heartbroken by this. Now on top of this ongoing stomach pain she had to pull all her strength to establish a home and new life.

In August 2016 Bailey’s pain had gone from lasting hours to days at a time, she was so worried she decided to go to the emergency department. They gave her a muscle relaxant, did some x-rays and performed an abdominal exam.  They told her it was either muscular or digestive. (However the muscle relaxant did not relieve the pain).

In September Bailey’s physician saw she had been in emergency department and finally decided to send her for an ultrasound.  This ultrasound would be booked at the hospital.  Because they considered Bailey to be young and healthy her referral was not treated as high priority and therefore it would be January before Bailey would finally have an appointment for the long needed ultrasound.

This ultrasound would change her life in an instant. They would discover a 10+ cm rare sarcoma tumor around her aorta. This tumor is growing amongst her two major blood vessels and vessels that are feeding her kidneys. This means operating to remove Bailey’s cancer is not a current option. This cancer is so rare only 1% of cancers are sarcomas.

Bailey started radiation this week in hopes of shrinking this tumor enough to operate. She will also be meeting with skilled sarcoma specialists in Toronto this month.  Her physicians have been very honest with her in that of they can't shrink her tumor enough to operate the diagnosis is a heartbreaking year.

Bailey has critical illness insurance and if you can believe it when she put in her claim they told her that her cancer has to have spread to qualify. As though her diagnosis wasn't serious enough.  Bailey also has long-term disability insurance but it doesn’t cover illness.

Bailey is just 33, living in Halifax  and self-employed; this means she is not eligible for medical leave or EI.  That makes a difficult unimaginable situation even tougher. Many of us work in this industry independently and Bailey could be any of us.

We want to help ease the financial strain ahead for Bailey. This is a time where she should be focused on her health and nothing else.  Bailey should be able to do anything and everything to live her life through this. 

Bailey is a fighter and one of the strongest people we know. She is determined and if anyone can beat this Bailey can.

Please share this story to create awareness that you know your body best. When you know something is wrong keep pushing to get an answer.  Trust your gut.

Bailey wants to share her story to help others, in making sure you check all of your insurance policies and know the fine print.   

Please help us support Bailey on this fight to ease her worry and help her live out each day to its fullest.