Laura's Cancer Cure

Laura Hussar Cooper is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi, my name is Laura Cooper. I am a healthy, 47 year old, mom, grandmother and most recently, wife, from Wichita, Kansas. My world has been turned entirely upside down in the last 60 days. Here is my story… About a year and a half ago I found a small lump in the roof of my mouth. I figured it would go away as it was not causing me any discomfort, and little things like that seem to come and go. However, I decided bring it up at my next scheduled dentist appointment, and then a couple of months later at my annual exam with my primary physician. Neither of the two doctors showed any concern, and simply told me to let them know if it started to bother me. It eventually started to cause some minor discomfort, and I asked my doctor to refer me to an ENT for a third opinion. The ENT told me she did not think a biopsy would show anything, and that I should come back in three months if it was still there, in which case she would order a CT. It started changing, and eventually was hurting me enough to where I was complaining about it at work. My employers daughter is a dentist and she suggested that I see an Oral Surgeon. I was referred to the only Oral Surgeon that my Obamacare insurance would allow me to see. He immediately did a CT and ordered an MRI. He was suspicious that it was Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (a very rare form of cancer that usually develops in the salivary glands or other regions of the head and neck). The MRI showed need for a biopsy and I went in for my first surgery on July 6th. That surgery showed that it was indeed the very rare Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma. I was scheduled for a second surgery 10 days later. This procedure involved the removal of the entire right side of the roof of my mouth, (soft and hard palate) the back half of my upper jaw, including four of my  teeth. I was then to heal for 4-6 weeks and begin radiation treatment. On top of the physical struggle of the two procedures and emotional side regarding my prognosis, I ran into enormous problems on the financial side of it all. The ONLY hospital that the ONLY oral surgeon in my network had privileges, was NOT in my Obamacare network, leaving me with only one option: pay out of pocket. I was then informed I would not receive out of network benefits because of the fact that I knew I would be going to a hospital that was out of my network prior to my procedure. Our government health care at its finest.

Since then, my boyfriend of four years and I have gotten married and I now have BlueCross BlueShield Insurance. The oncologist I was referred to here in Wichita recommended we go to  MD Anderson hospital in Houston, Texas, if at all possible, as he had little to no experience with this type of cancer. We got a second opinion who said the same thing. We were able to get an appointment within two weeks and were off to MD Anderson in Houston last Tuesday. We met with a team of doctors and had two days worth of testing. We left knowing we would hear from them soon regarding a plan for my cure. Yesterday was a bit of a blow to me as they called to tell me that the surgeon who operated on me in Wichita did not get all of the cancerous tumor removed and that I will need another surgery before I can begin my treatment. My third surgery is scheduled for September 12th. I will need to be there a week before to prep, and a week after, in the hospital, to recuperate. I will then head home to heal for 4 – 6 weeks, and then return to Houston for 7-8 weeks of radiation treatment.
I have come to GOFUNDME at the urging of family and friends, as they say that it is a great way to help with the financial burden of my journey. As of today, I have already amassed over 85,000 dollars in medical bills, and have lost two months wages from my job with no return date in sight. I have no idea what the financial outcome of my cure will be, but I am certain that I need help. All of the money raised through this will go toward my medical care and needs during the remainder of this journey. I will be forever grateful for any contributions, as they will help me to get back to living my life to the fullest and being there for my loved ones.  Thank you for reading my story.