Support Dawn's Battle Against Lung Cancer

My name is Melissa and I’m reaching out to you today because my dear friend, Dawn, was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 Lung Cancer on April 22, 2024.

Dawn has been in my life since she and my mom, Carolyn, became good friends while working for R.N. Koch 38 years ago. She is more like family than a friend. If you know Dawn, you know that she’s a “tough broad.” She’s strong willed and loves to tease and laugh. She also has a huge heart, is thoughtful and kind, and is fiercely loyal to the ones she loves. She has been there for my mom and my family during some difficult times. Now it’s time that we be there for her and her family. They need our love and support right now more than they ever have before.

Dawn has struggled with health problems since 2010 when she suffered a back and neck injury while working for Staples. As a result of that injury, she needed four neck and back surgeries. Although these surgeries helped to correct the injury, she dealt with years of lingering pain.

Dawn returned to work a year ago in July of 2023 when she started a job with Amazon working in one of their warehouses. She really thrived in this fast paced environment and loved her job as well as her coworkers. It was hard, physically demanding work but she was feeling happier and healthier. Things were looking up for her and her family.

Then, this past April, while working at Amazon, a box accidentally fell on Dawn’s back. Although she didn’t think it was too serious, her employer sent her to the doctor to have it checked out. An X-ray was ordered due to some pain in her neck and chest area. Unfortunately, when the doctor reviewed the results, he found a mass in her lung. After further testing, Dawn’s doctors confirmed that she had Stage 3 Lung Cancer.

Dawn’s life was completely upended. After working hard to establish herself as a valued employee at Amazon, she was now faced with an extremely serious cancer diagnosis. She is literally, now, in the fight for her life.

Since April, Dawn has had to endure an endless litany of medical tests, procedures, doctor visits, and serious medical complications. She’s doing her best to cope with the chemotherapy, immunotherapy, the constant blood work and IV fluids, and having to take a long list of potent prescription medications. Because of the chemotherapy, Dawn began to lose her voice. Doctors found that she had polyps in her throat that were severely inflamed. In late May she had to have surgery to remove these polyps and to “shock” the vocal cords to get them working properly again. In early June, while at a doctor’s appointment, Dawn became incoherent and her vitals dropped. She was rushed to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a blood clot in each lung. She had to stay in the hospital for three days and is now on a blood thinner, on top of the other medications she is taking.

Dawn is only 3 months into her long and exhausting journey to recovery and she and her family are already in major financial debt. She has a family of three, consisting of her, her husband Rick, who she’s been married to for 17 years, and her medically disabled 16 year old daughter Ashley. Rick is working seven days a week to try to support his family. But, every bill, medical procedure, and payment only runs them more and more into debt. Dawn has been trying her best to work through all her treatments at the Amazon warehouse in Bellingham, MA. But sadly, she’s been barely able to even get out of bed most days due to the Chemotherapy and the cancer constantly wearing her body down. The family now owes over 4,000 dollars in rent and is in risk of going to eviction court in August 2024 if they can not get it paid. To make matters worse, their car’s engine recently broke down and they’re unable to afford the high cost to fix it. Dawn and Rick’s daughter, Ashley, is going to be a junior in high school and has many disabilities, both mental and medical, and has been in need of mobility aids since 8th grade. Rick is also medically disabled, with a Herniated disc in his back and a pinched nerve in his left collar bone/ neck. He works his vending job in Norwood, MA 60 to 70 hours a week, often working through painful numbness in his left arm and constant back pain. The family can only do so much, but it seems that every step forward they get, they are shoved back five.

Dawn's final surgery and biggest obstacle yet will take place just a few weeks from now in early September. The purpose of this next procedure will be the removal of the cancerous tumor. Thankfully, the chemotherapy was effective in that it shrunk the tumor. However, whatever cancerous tissue that is left must be removed in order to prevent it from growing and spreading into other parts of her body. This will be a major surgery and will consist of her doctors removing three of her top ribs, part of her lung, and possibly part of her chest cavity. The family still does not know if it will be a more routine surgery or a full reconstructive surgery. Dawn will be in recovery for 8 to 12 weeks and will be unable to work for any of this time.

As you can see, Dawn is currently in the fight of her life and is in serious need of our help right now. Any donations will be greatly appreciated and will go towards medical costs and to help the family get caught up on their bills.

Thank you for taking the time to read Dawn’s story and please feel free to share this to your friends and family. Thank you so much for your potential donation. I promise you that it is going to a very good cause.