Support Nicole's Battle Against Thyroid Cancer

Dear Friends, Family, and Kind Strangers,

It is with a heavy heart we are reaching out to you but also with hope and determination. Our very good, long-time friend, Nicole, a single mother to four beautiful children, has recently been diagnosed with aggressive thyroid cancer. This diagnosis comes after a very rough past 6 months for Nicole. In June, Nicole was taken out of work due to having no feeling in her left leg. In July, she underwent sinus surgery to open a completely blocked septum. In August, Nicole required spinal cord surgery due to the loss of feeling in her leg. While still recovering from the spinal cord surgery, she began vomiting daily, which led to the discovery of a twisted stomach. Around this same time, a nodule on her thyroid was found on a prior MRI. Nicole was sent for an ultrasound in September, in which the nodule was determined to be cancerous. She was sent for a biopsy that confirmed it to be cancerous and also discovered multiple nodules. The cancer has also spread to surrounding lymph nodes.

Within the next 4 weeks, Nicole will have to undergo another three surgeries. The first to remove the left side of her thyroid as it is too risky to remove the entire thyroid due to the amount of scar tissue surrounding her thyroid, vocal cords, and voice box from previous surgeries. She will also need surgery to correct her twisted stomach, which will be approximately 2 weeks after her thyroid surgery. Then she will have to have another surgery 2-3 months later to remove the other half of her thyroid. This surgery also puts her at risk of permanently paralyzing her vocal cords, a possible permanent trach, as well as many other complications.

Nicole is facing the battle of her life. The road ahead is very daunting, uncertain, and frightening. Between having to be out of work, endless doctor's appointments, and previous and upcoming medical bills on top of other expenses piling up.

We want to raise money to help Nicole with her medical expenses and additional bills so she can focus on her health, healing, and children without constant financial stress.

Please help us by donating. Any amount, large or small, will help, and your generosity is greatly appreciated. Please share this fundraising effort; the more people who know, the more we can help Nicole. And lastly, please send love and prayers, even if you are unable to donate monetarily. Love, encouragement, prayers, and support are always appreciated.

Together we can help Nicole fight this battle and show her she has an army behind her. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, your kindness, and support.

With Love,

Melissa Molinini and Susan Maxwell, as well as all of Nicole's family and friends.