help Kim & Buce Wise!

My dear friend kim has been afraid of cancer as long as I've known her. An irrational fear, in my opinion, due to smoking socially in her early twenties. This past spring, however, Kim felt a lump in her breast. She happened to be uninsured at the time, but didn't care. She went to her doc, who apparently did care that she was uninsured, and chose to do an ultrasound instead of a mammogram. The doctor concluded that it was just dense breast tissue. The lump continued to grow, Kim's fears grew, she called her doctor repeatedly for a referral to a specialist. She called so often they asked her to stop calling, that they were working on it. finally in July Kim was referred to a specialist. By this time the "dense breast tissue" was softball sized. Also by this time Kim's husband Bruce was working at a former employer from years ago, and they were back on his old health plan. Kim had also just started a new job. The very same week she saw the specialist, she had a mammogram, biopsies, mri's, cat scans, pet scans, surgery to install a mediport, chemotherapy initiated and i don't know what all else, you name it, they did it. All of this within days. They moved fast because her diagnosis was a fast growing stage 4 HERS 2+ inflammatory breast cancer. There was already a spot or two on her liver and also a spot on one of her vertebrae. She was in shock, inconsolable, facing her worst fear. She went wherever her doctors referred her to. Nobody thought about preferred providers. Until the shock wore off and the bills started coming in. On top of that, because Kim had that earlier ultrasound her insurance viewed it as a red flag, and initially ALL of her medical bills were being denied because they were considering it a preexisting condition. Kim's parents have been 100% supportive, however their family was doubly hit with life threatening news. Not only Kim's cancer, but her sister Tammie (who coincidentally shares a birthday with Kim) was also diagnosed with breast cancer within weeks of Kim. Their parents have helped them financially as much as they could afford and then much more. Bruce is a hard-working husband and picks up whatever overtime he can. Kim has babysat and taken the odd job when she can, in spite of being sick. This family it's stretched as thin as possible financially, and with the new year comes new out of pocket expenses, deductibles etc.

The good news is that Kim's aggressive diagnosis has not gotten the better of her. She has responded beautifully to treatment. Her doctors told her 10 years ago her diagnosis would have been a death sentence, but the drugs they have now that target her specific type of cancer are amazing. I am so grateful to say that both Kim and Tammie are officially in remission. It is nothing short of a miracle that Kim's metastasized cancer diagnosis from July is officially in remission. The drugs that target her cancer Herceptin and Projeta she will continue to take every month as maintenance. Although she is stage 4 her doctor describes her as a young woman LIVING with a disease, a manageable disease. She has one more round of the strong cancer killing Chemo, then she will be on maintenance chemo indefinitely. This family, they are my family, and we have many many blessings to count. I would love for Kim and Bruce to be able to enjoy these blessings without the constant financial strain. They deserve some relief, they deserve a break.  These strong proud hard-working dear friends of mine. My sister Kim, my brother Bruce, my Godson Grayson. They have come through the worst time of their lives. The new job Kim had just started when she was diagnosed had to let her go, and of course she couldn't have worked through the whole course of chemo. Kim went back to work as soon as she got the news she was in remission, even though she still had a couple more rounds of the harsh chemo, the one that brings on the nausea and the aching bones, the fatigue. She had chemo the Saturday before she started back to work. She has chemo again on the 22nd. She is tough as nails, and I'm so proud of her. She is doing whatever it takes to regain her health. Grayson, her 7 year old son, is her motivation. Now that she is just about back on her feet, health wise, please help them get back on their feet financially. Any little bit you can spare helps.  These people are dear to me and they don't like to ask for help. I tried and i tried to convince Kim to apply for social security disability, and she would not, could not do it. Part of it was she felt like she was asking for a hand out, part of it was that she felt like she was conceding to her cancer if she did that. She is very uncomfortable with even this, me advocating for her. With the church fundraising for her and Tammie. TheA fundraiser is being held on feb 22 for both Kim and her sister, a silent auction from 6 to 8 at the eagle river lions club. If you can make it to support them that would be awesome, but if you can't make it, and would like to help please donate here. If you would like to help but just can't spare any money right now please share this link on your own page. who knows, maybe one of your  friends will be able to help. My dear friend kim has found a new appreciation for life, her cancer going into remission so quickly is a miracle. Please help her and her family enjoy these blessings without the oppression of all these medical bills, this financial burden weighing them down. thank you.