Hello, my name is Cathy. I am the mother of Cassidy. I am appealing to the kindness of friends and strangers to help us pay for my daughter's upcoming PET scans as insurance has denied, even after appeal.

My daughter, Cassidy, was given a less than 10% chance of seeing her 1st birthday after having been ill since she was six months old. She was diagnosed with leukemia and had undergone chemotherapy, followed by a radical experimental bone marrow transplant in 1997, which entailed both high-dose chemotherapy and radiation treatment, almost ending her life. As a result of the procedure that saved her life, she now suffers from long-term effects of the conditioning regimen. She has endured multiple orthopedic surgeries, cataract surgeries, and brain surgery to remove a gigantic mass in her head, now resulting in seizures. She suffers from impaired kidney functions from the high doses of the toxic medication used to save her life.

We knew Cassidy would eventually need a kidney transplant, and we began the work-up to put her on the list. In October of last year, on a routine exam by her nephrologist (kidney doc), it was discovered she had a mass on her kidney. Upon further examination, it was determined to be renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) that has metastasized to a lymph node. It was classified as stage three cancer. She is required to be cancer-free for 3 to 5 years to even be considered eligible for a kidney transplant. In January 2025, she underwent surgery to remove the diseased kidney and lymph nodes. Subsequently, we discovered she is also in congestive heart failure again as a result of the toxic conditioning regimen for her transplant, although years ago. Since then, we have had six long hospital stays due to various complications as well as being on dialysis. She is being managed by medication, and CHF has improved slightly, potentially being a barrier to kidney transplant (when your ejection fraction reaches 30%, you are no longer eligible for a transplant).

As part of her health and well-being, and considering the fact her kidney cancer is very high risk, her oncologist at Memorial Kettering wants her to have PET scans done quarterly for the first year. As Cassidy cannot work and she is above the age of 25, we are at the mercy of state insurance. The insurance has denied her scan, and it was sent to the appeals board who, after speaking with her oncologist, stuck by their denial.

The only way to keep her healthy is to monitor her very closely. Without this test, she could have cancer growing elsewhere, and we will never know. It is beyond me how this very valid, very necessary test was denied, but we need to make this happen.

I am asking for anybody that can to please contribute and share this fundraiser as we will have to pay for the scans out of pocket. The scans run on an average of $3300. Early detection is the key to keeping her alive.

My husband was laid off for five months last winter, essentially putting us into a financially tough place making it difficult to pay for the scans. We are still trying to recover from the layoff, and we do not know what the coming winter will hold. I am unable to work as I am her 24/7 caregiver.

Cassidy is a funny, sweet, sassy, intelligent, and loving friend, sister, and daughter. We cannot imagine our life without her in it, and the fact that profit is placed over people is absolutely devastating. She is too young to exit this world. My youngest is too young to lose her sister. I cant imagine losing my daughter. Please, any and all contributions will help us reach the goal of getting her the scan she needs.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.