Surgery for Anna!
Donation protected
My name is Samantha, I am Anna Ferraro's only daughter, and I am hoping, with all my love and gratitude, you can help us in our fight against cancer. Let me explain.
On October 16, 2017 my mother underwent a "routine" surgery. When she woke up, she was told she had Stage IV Appendix Cancer. Yes, you read that correctly: appendix cancer. Her appendix had ruptured, and when it did, it released cancerous appendix cells throughout her entire abdomen.
Here's the thing... when you have a super rare cancer like my mom, there's little to no research on how best to treat it. The doctor's approach is to treat it as if it were colon cancer. She was told her best chance at long-term survival was to complete 12 rounds of chemotherapy (the one that they use for colon cancer) and then attempt a marathon-like surgery. It's called Cytoreduction + HIPEC.
So, like the warrior she is, she fought through 12 awful chemo sessions. By June 2018, it was surgery time! We were elated - time to remove the remaining cancer from her belly and move on! Except, that never happened. Instead, they opened up her abdomen and saw too much spread to even attempt the surgery. She was stitched closed and told to continue chemotherapy for the rest of her life. To date, she has completed 34 sessions, more than average people can even handle.
In May 2019, we decided she should be reevaluated for surgery here in Toronto. Her case was rejected and the surgery was declined again.
This summer though, we got in contact with the surgeon who created the Cytoreductive + HIPEC surgery. He is in Washington, DC and has agreed to attempt this life-saving operation this October 2019, but it comes with a huge cost, nearly $400,000 CAD.
I love my mom more than anything. Her life is priceless and this is our absolute, final chance. So, any small contribution will mean the world and go directly to her surgical / hospital bills.
She gave me my life. It's time I try to do the same for her.
With endless love and thanks,
Sam
On October 16, 2017 my mother underwent a "routine" surgery. When she woke up, she was told she had Stage IV Appendix Cancer. Yes, you read that correctly: appendix cancer. Her appendix had ruptured, and when it did, it released cancerous appendix cells throughout her entire abdomen.
Here's the thing... when you have a super rare cancer like my mom, there's little to no research on how best to treat it. The doctor's approach is to treat it as if it were colon cancer. She was told her best chance at long-term survival was to complete 12 rounds of chemotherapy (the one that they use for colon cancer) and then attempt a marathon-like surgery. It's called Cytoreduction + HIPEC.
So, like the warrior she is, she fought through 12 awful chemo sessions. By June 2018, it was surgery time! We were elated - time to remove the remaining cancer from her belly and move on! Except, that never happened. Instead, they opened up her abdomen and saw too much spread to even attempt the surgery. She was stitched closed and told to continue chemotherapy for the rest of her life. To date, she has completed 34 sessions, more than average people can even handle.
In May 2019, we decided she should be reevaluated for surgery here in Toronto. Her case was rejected and the surgery was declined again.
This summer though, we got in contact with the surgeon who created the Cytoreductive + HIPEC surgery. He is in Washington, DC and has agreed to attempt this life-saving operation this October 2019, but it comes with a huge cost, nearly $400,000 CAD.
I love my mom more than anything. Her life is priceless and this is our absolute, final chance. So, any small contribution will mean the world and go directly to her surgical / hospital bills.
She gave me my life. It's time I try to do the same for her.
With endless love and thanks,
Sam
Organizer and beneficiary
Samantha Zacchigna
Organizer
Woodbridge, ON
Anna Ferraro
Beneficiary
