Help Mema Fight Cancer

My beautiful Mommy, Mema, and friend Joserine Chin-Queewas diagnosed with Malignant Mesenchymal Neoplasm on  February 5, 2021, a very aggressive cancer. Our world has now come crumbling down, as she is everything to me. About 18 years ago my mom had severe vaginal bleeding, so severe she had to be hospitalized for several days with blood transfusions to raise her hemoglobin. The cause of the bleeding was fibroids developed in her uterus. Fibroids are common in woman and can develop in child bearing years, but most dissipate by menopausal years but can also be lifelong with no symptoms or problems at all. The doctor at the time told her they too would also dissipate during her menopausal years, but unfortunately this wasn’t the case for her. October 2020, my Mommy started bleeding again immediately she scheduled an appointment with her Primary Care Physician (PCP) in which she was then referred to a gynecologist. My Mommy has always been regimented with doctor appointments as she is in the health care field herself. After her appointment with the gynecologist, the doctor said they would be scheduling a Hysteroscopy surgery. This is to determine whether the area in her uterus is benign and then move forward with a hysterectomy and be rid of this horrible pain, and bleeding in misery. 

Here is where our turmoil begins. Months go by and still no authorization from her doctor to proceed with the hysteroscopy. Many frequent visits to the emergency room because she is still bleeding and very weak. Christmas comes and I watch my mommy suffer in silence, tossing and turning on my couch during Christmas dinner. She was weak and in agonizing pain and her frail body is withering away. I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to get to the bottom of this. I call the Gynecologist and ask what the holdup is with scheduling her surgery. They apologize and say due to  COVID-19 they have over looked her paper work but they are working on scheduling her appointment now and would contact us soon as they have a date. The New Year comes and still no one reached out to us with an appointment. I call back and speak with the on call nurse and tell them my mom is extremely ill and now has been taken to the hospital for blood transfusions because her hemoglobin is extremely low.  During this time I am furious. I call her insurance, PCP , Gynecologist to try and figure out how my wonderful, once full of life mommy has been over looked and left to wither away with no help from anyone.

The gynecologist says they sent the paper work to the PCP and its waiting on approval from her insurance. At this point I have taken on all the medical calls because apparently no one is doing their job and mommy is so exhausted and has no strength to figure it all out herself. A lot of back and forth with insurance, gynecologist and PCP calls, I will spare you the details as it was strenuous and you get the point, but she finally gets her authorization! She is scheduled for February 5, 2020. Finally we are happy we can move forward and start the road to recovery and for the first time in months we see the light! The day comes and I take off work to bring her to surgery, she is nervous but I alleviate some of her stress with my humor and trying to her mind off of things. Meanwhile I am cringing inside, as how could we get to this point? Why did it take so long? Please let everything go smoothly during surgery! The light we saw was quickly dimmed as immediately after surgery, the doctor came to the lobby to see me with the most horrific news. She said she saw lots of abnormalities and at this point she thinks it cancer. I am in shock, this was supposed to be a routine surgery and everything is supposed to be benign and get the hysterectomy, that’s how it’s supposed to happen.  

The doctor tells me we have to wait on pathology but she is almost certain its cancer. On February 8, 2021, we get the verbal that it is malignant but still no confirmation on the stage or type. Emotions run through me like a train hitting a brick wall. My world is slowing falling apart and there is nothing I can do. On Tuesday February 16, 2021, we get the confirmation on the type of cancer from her doctor. She has Malignant Mesenchymal Neoplasm. The doctor explained this cancer is very aggressive. Now we will need to refer her to an oncologist, because she no longer can perform the surgery on her. The doctor explained she will have to most likely have her entire uterus, ovaries, and lymph nodes removed to then determine how far the cancer has really spread.

This process has possibly cost my mom valuable time of her life. If the doctors and nurses would have done their due diligence, we could have possibly caught this sooner on the early onset of symptoms. All those emergency visits and not one raised eyebrow! I am utterly infuriated and have such disgust for these people, but now it’s time to fight for my mommy. I ask you find it in your heart to donate to my mommy during this fight. I am her only daughter and we have many surgeries, appointments, and chemotherapy in her future. All the proceeds will go to her treatments, loss of work for her and any expenditure we accrue during this cancer fight. Everyone knows the saying, “when life gets tough at least you have your health.” Well right now, life is tough, and she does not have her health. Any contribution will be greatly appreciated. My mommy is the most loving, generous, helpful, free spirited person you will ever meet. She deserves to fight stress free of financial burden and I will do anything in my power to help alleviate that. They say in life not all things can be done on your own and this is one of those things. Your contribution will help not only my mommy but us as well while we support her through this fight. 

On behalf of my mommy and my family we would like to thank everyone for all the love, thoughts,  prayers and support that everyone has shared with us during these difficult times.