Melvin the Masshole Meet Team Bran
Donation protected
She had been eating ibuprofen like candy, complaining of back pain. Multiple chiropractor and masseuse visits before her wedding didn't seem to bring any relief. Chalking it up to pre-wedding jitters/stress our Brandi got married in pain, January 2018. Returning from her honeymoon she cried to the Doctors that she could no longer take it.
Brandi geninuinly believed the pain would calm down after the nuptials.
Two months after saying I DO, they found the problem. Stage 3 Lung Cancer. Non small cell was the good news, non operable was the bad. Introducing.....Melvin the Masshole. Melvin is a tumor that when found, was the size of a medium grapefruit. It has attached itself to a place on her spine that Doctors dare not touch. But before radiation and chemo could begin there was one more scan the Doctors needed to do to see if they could explain the numbness she was experiencing in her hand.
This scan provided one more punch to Brandi, her husband and to all her family and friends. "Melvin had a twin" that had been hiding on her brain. First order of business for the Doctors? Kick the twin out (because for this mass, they could). She went in for brain surgery in May and recovery went great! The chemo and radiation fight against Melvin could now commence.
This meant daily drives The Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa Florida, some 85 miles away from home for many many weeks. Recently, Doctors diagnosed her with pleurisy and pneumonia. It's taken weeks to get her over that hump, but she's pulled through!
Nearly six months after learning such devastating news, Brandi has finally completed the first round of treatment specifically targeted for Melvin. During all this time, the pain kept her frozen. Unable to sleep, unable to eat. Frozen kept her still, and that stillness has caused atrophy. So on this chemo break, for these next two months, she is at home working hard to get back to being mobile. She's being such a good patient (following ALL the Doctors orders) and is currently receiving both physical and occupational therapy. Doctors will scan her again sometime during October to see what this masshole is doing.
Team Brandi is asking for your help. Tommy has been working hard and has dropped everything to be the sole caretaker to his new bride. Melvin has not only hurt hearts, but it's hurt the family's financial pocket. Health insurance has been a blessing but it doesn't pay for gas, household bills, groceries (and they have a TEENAGE BOY at home!) and lastly it doesn't pay for home help.
The reality is Doctors say because of the point of origin she will NEVER be cancer free. Our goal with this page is to be a place of opportunity for friends and loved ones who are unable to offer assistance physically - to participate in supporting her financially by help to raise enough money to cover future transportation and care costs and to help provide much needed financial relief to the family as they redefine what their future looks like.
Will you please consider making a donation today? We love you Brandi!
Brandi geninuinly believed the pain would calm down after the nuptials.
Two months after saying I DO, they found the problem. Stage 3 Lung Cancer. Non small cell was the good news, non operable was the bad. Introducing.....Melvin the Masshole. Melvin is a tumor that when found, was the size of a medium grapefruit. It has attached itself to a place on her spine that Doctors dare not touch. But before radiation and chemo could begin there was one more scan the Doctors needed to do to see if they could explain the numbness she was experiencing in her hand.
This scan provided one more punch to Brandi, her husband and to all her family and friends. "Melvin had a twin" that had been hiding on her brain. First order of business for the Doctors? Kick the twin out (because for this mass, they could). She went in for brain surgery in May and recovery went great! The chemo and radiation fight against Melvin could now commence.
This meant daily drives The Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa Florida, some 85 miles away from home for many many weeks. Recently, Doctors diagnosed her with pleurisy and pneumonia. It's taken weeks to get her over that hump, but she's pulled through!
Nearly six months after learning such devastating news, Brandi has finally completed the first round of treatment specifically targeted for Melvin. During all this time, the pain kept her frozen. Unable to sleep, unable to eat. Frozen kept her still, and that stillness has caused atrophy. So on this chemo break, for these next two months, she is at home working hard to get back to being mobile. She's being such a good patient (following ALL the Doctors orders) and is currently receiving both physical and occupational therapy. Doctors will scan her again sometime during October to see what this masshole is doing.
Team Brandi is asking for your help. Tommy has been working hard and has dropped everything to be the sole caretaker to his new bride. Melvin has not only hurt hearts, but it's hurt the family's financial pocket. Health insurance has been a blessing but it doesn't pay for gas, household bills, groceries (and they have a TEENAGE BOY at home!) and lastly it doesn't pay for home help.
The reality is Doctors say because of the point of origin she will NEVER be cancer free. Our goal with this page is to be a place of opportunity for friends and loved ones who are unable to offer assistance physically - to participate in supporting her financially by help to raise enough money to cover future transportation and care costs and to help provide much needed financial relief to the family as they redefine what their future looks like.
Will you please consider making a donation today? We love you Brandi!
Organizer and beneficiary
Bonnie Tieche
Organizer
Ocala, FL
Brandi Kendrick
Beneficiary
