Please Help Keep Lucy's Light Aglow
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“It is with the greatest amount of humility that I am posting this. The past 10 months have been a struggle, to say the least. In April, 2015 I lost my husband and the father of my youngest son. With his passing, we lost both his income, and our family health insurance. Two weeks later, I was diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer. Still having 3 sons at home, I had to work through months of chemotherapy and a surgery. Without the insurance, I was forced to drain every penny I had saved just to keep myself alive and my children taken care of. My fight was long, and difficult, but I beat it.
And I have now found myself in a nearly impossible situation. While the burden of the past months has taken an excessive toll, not only on myself, but my family, I found out a few weeks ago that I may, once again, be fighting for my life.
As a blogger, I am rarely at a loss for words, but I have found that in having to put pride aside for my own health, those words have become elusive. I am grateful for my partner, Ryan, who, as with everything, is by my side. I am stressed and overwhelmed and he has been gracious enough to help me tell my story…”
-Lucy Dee
I humbly come before you today with an urgent plea for your help. Not for myself; but for someone for whom I deeply love.
I can only hope that my words may inspire you to help save her life… To help save Lucy’s life.
I am writing this for her because she is too distraught and overwhelmed to write it herself.
Lucy is a beautiful, intelligent, and humorous woman.
Lucy is a mother of four children… CJ, David, and two minor children; ages 24, 22, 17, and 8. Lucy is a wonderful mom and human being. She does her best to instill in her children, love, compassion, reason, and personal-responsibility. Lucy is a cult survivor; 17 years ago, having saved herself and her children from unspeakable abuse. Courageously, she then went on to attain a Doctorate in Applied Sciences, Meteorology. She is currently the Head Research Director for a prominent research facility, which I must leave unnamed as a professional courtesy. Unfortunately, research science does not pay very well. Lucy also has an Annual Filing Season Program – Record of Completion from the IRS. With it, she owns and operates a small-time bookkeeping, payroll, and tax preparation business.
But despite her tenacity, courage, and resilience, her meager income nowhere near covers the unexpected costs necessary for the required medical tests and procedures.
About two weeks ago, Lucy found a lump near her left collarbone. Having fought cancer 10 times in the last 17 years – and having just been told by her Oncologist 9 weeks ago that she had gone into remission from her most recent bout of cancer – we feared the worst.
She immediately scheduled an appointment with her family doctor, who was concerned enough to refer her to a specialist.
In December, her health insurance was increased from $325.00 per month - to $457.00 per month, beginning in January. She was forced to let it lapse because she could no longer afford it. To be able to keep the appointment with the surgeon, we had to come up with enough money to pay for both January and February, which came to a total of $869.00, after a previous credit was applied. Thankfully, we managed to gather the money to reinstate her health insurance in time for the appointment, but just barely.
When we first met with her surgeon, he said that we should hear from the hospital within 7 to 10 days, to schedule the tests that he strongly thought should be performed within the next 2-4 weeks. He ordered a series of tests - including ultrasounds, x-rays and CT Scans. The hospital called Lucy at around noon the day before the first set of tests and told her that they wouldn’t let her keep the appointment unless we first came up with $1,092.00 - in the next five hours! We drained our personal bank accounts, and Lucy took a draw from her business to cover a portion of it - leaving us broke, and the business account with next to nothing to cover operating costs.
The first round of tests were completed on Wednesday, February 3rd...
We are still waiting to hear the results.
Then another surprise… Less than 24 hours before the second set of tests were scheduled to take place, the hospital called again, saying, again, that we had 5 hours to come up with even more money - an additional $1,616.83 - or that the second set of tests would be delayed by at least 4 weeks. That was today. Once again, we find ourselves scrambling to cover the costs.
The second set of tests are scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, February 5th.
Out of money and options, she made a desperate plea for help from friends on Facebook.
Several of her Facebook friends stepped up to the plate and helped us meet the cost of Friday’s tests - but the fight is far from over. They may want to run 27 more tests; there is a strong possibility of surgery - and if it does turn out to be cancer... more chemotherapy.
Whatever you can afford to donate will be received with great humility and exceeding gratitude.
A dollar, five dollars, five-hundred dollars…
If you are able to help, please donate via PayPal, so that the funds are immediately available - and so that all of your donation will be received.
(GoFundMe takes a cut of all donations)
Lucy’s Paypal: [email redacted]
If you are willing to help - but you are unable to do so financially - please share her plight with as many people as you can. While her medical plight is not wholly unique, Lucy is.
Lucy is a shining light of kindness, generosity, and reason.
All donations will go directly toward Lucy’s medical bills.
If the worst come to pass, we may have to raise the campaign goal. If the best comes to pass, with gratitude, we will discontinue the campaign and struggle forth on our own.
Other than my writing this, Lucy is in full control of this campaign - and every cent of donations goes directly to her.
Please help to keep her shining light aglow.
For Lucy, for her children, for the world, and for me… Please help.
With utmost appreciation and kindest regards,
-Ryan Burkhart
And I have now found myself in a nearly impossible situation. While the burden of the past months has taken an excessive toll, not only on myself, but my family, I found out a few weeks ago that I may, once again, be fighting for my life.
As a blogger, I am rarely at a loss for words, but I have found that in having to put pride aside for my own health, those words have become elusive. I am grateful for my partner, Ryan, who, as with everything, is by my side. I am stressed and overwhelmed and he has been gracious enough to help me tell my story…”
-Lucy Dee
I humbly come before you today with an urgent plea for your help. Not for myself; but for someone for whom I deeply love.
I can only hope that my words may inspire you to help save her life… To help save Lucy’s life.
I am writing this for her because she is too distraught and overwhelmed to write it herself.
Lucy is a beautiful, intelligent, and humorous woman.
Lucy is a mother of four children… CJ, David, and two minor children; ages 24, 22, 17, and 8. Lucy is a wonderful mom and human being. She does her best to instill in her children, love, compassion, reason, and personal-responsibility. Lucy is a cult survivor; 17 years ago, having saved herself and her children from unspeakable abuse. Courageously, she then went on to attain a Doctorate in Applied Sciences, Meteorology. She is currently the Head Research Director for a prominent research facility, which I must leave unnamed as a professional courtesy. Unfortunately, research science does not pay very well. Lucy also has an Annual Filing Season Program – Record of Completion from the IRS. With it, she owns and operates a small-time bookkeeping, payroll, and tax preparation business.
But despite her tenacity, courage, and resilience, her meager income nowhere near covers the unexpected costs necessary for the required medical tests and procedures.
About two weeks ago, Lucy found a lump near her left collarbone. Having fought cancer 10 times in the last 17 years – and having just been told by her Oncologist 9 weeks ago that she had gone into remission from her most recent bout of cancer – we feared the worst.
She immediately scheduled an appointment with her family doctor, who was concerned enough to refer her to a specialist.
In December, her health insurance was increased from $325.00 per month - to $457.00 per month, beginning in January. She was forced to let it lapse because she could no longer afford it. To be able to keep the appointment with the surgeon, we had to come up with enough money to pay for both January and February, which came to a total of $869.00, after a previous credit was applied. Thankfully, we managed to gather the money to reinstate her health insurance in time for the appointment, but just barely.
When we first met with her surgeon, he said that we should hear from the hospital within 7 to 10 days, to schedule the tests that he strongly thought should be performed within the next 2-4 weeks. He ordered a series of tests - including ultrasounds, x-rays and CT Scans. The hospital called Lucy at around noon the day before the first set of tests and told her that they wouldn’t let her keep the appointment unless we first came up with $1,092.00 - in the next five hours! We drained our personal bank accounts, and Lucy took a draw from her business to cover a portion of it - leaving us broke, and the business account with next to nothing to cover operating costs.
The first round of tests were completed on Wednesday, February 3rd...
We are still waiting to hear the results.
Then another surprise… Less than 24 hours before the second set of tests were scheduled to take place, the hospital called again, saying, again, that we had 5 hours to come up with even more money - an additional $1,616.83 - or that the second set of tests would be delayed by at least 4 weeks. That was today. Once again, we find ourselves scrambling to cover the costs.
The second set of tests are scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, February 5th.
Out of money and options, she made a desperate plea for help from friends on Facebook.
Several of her Facebook friends stepped up to the plate and helped us meet the cost of Friday’s tests - but the fight is far from over. They may want to run 27 more tests; there is a strong possibility of surgery - and if it does turn out to be cancer... more chemotherapy.
Whatever you can afford to donate will be received with great humility and exceeding gratitude.
A dollar, five dollars, five-hundred dollars…
If you are able to help, please donate via PayPal, so that the funds are immediately available - and so that all of your donation will be received.
(GoFundMe takes a cut of all donations)
Lucy’s Paypal: [email redacted]
If you are willing to help - but you are unable to do so financially - please share her plight with as many people as you can. While her medical plight is not wholly unique, Lucy is.
Lucy is a shining light of kindness, generosity, and reason.
All donations will go directly toward Lucy’s medical bills.
If the worst come to pass, we may have to raise the campaign goal. If the best comes to pass, with gratitude, we will discontinue the campaign and struggle forth on our own.
Other than my writing this, Lucy is in full control of this campaign - and every cent of donations goes directly to her.
Please help to keep her shining light aglow.
For Lucy, for her children, for the world, and for me… Please help.
With utmost appreciation and kindest regards,
-Ryan Burkhart
Organizer
Lucy Dee
Organizer
Cordell, OK
