Melissa Wood's F@#% Colon Cancer Fund
Donation protected
Melissa has been battling Stage 3 Colon Cancer for ~3 years. The first occurrence reared its ugly head and seemed like appendicitis. She quickly found out she had a tumor in her colon and underwent a surgery to remove ½ of her colon. She underwent some chemo and was up and running in no time. The cancer appeared to be gone and she was back to her normal life.
In September 2012 a terrible pain came back. This time they thought it was bladder infections, but quickly realized the cancer was back. It was a tumor that attached to her ovary. They removed the tumor and one of her ovaries and suggested that she meet with a specialist. She went through chemo to get the cancer under control and underwent a very evasive surgery to rid her of the cancer. Once they opened her up she had to undergo a full hysterectomy, but they were still hopeful that she beat this thing. She again got a clean bill of health and was back to her normal self!
In January 2014 yet another terrible pain came back and it was determined that the cancer was back for the 3rd time. They realized the cancer had metastasized and there was a tumor in her abdominal lining and on her liver. Her oncologist sent her to Johns Hopkins in hopes of finding a clinical trial she could participate in. Unfortunately, she was not a good candidate for any of the trials currently running. The doctor explained that she would likely have to live with colon cancer since it recurred so many times and they would be unable to operate at this time. They recommended that she undergo a similar chemo treatment to what she previously had because her body reacted well to the treatments. However, these chemo treatments have not gone as expected. She has become very ill, in/out of the hospital, unable to eat, and not able to work much. Work is her outlet so she will not quit her job. However, she has been so ill she has only been able to work a very small amount of hours. This has caused a hard ship because of the multiple co-pays and prescriptions she has to take.
Melissa was very proud about asking for money, but so many people have asked how they can help. This is probably the best way to help Melissa at this point. She wants to try to keep her head above water with regards to her medical bills. I (Her cuzzy Susan.) am going to manage the website and funds for her bills so there is separation of function (I am a financial analyst by day and always like to keep the financial transactions on the up and up!!!!) because we want everyone to see/know that we are using any donations for a good reason:to help ease the burden of the medical bills Melissa is incurring! Every little bit helps and we appreciate everyone's support. If anyone would like to speak with me about donations, please email me at [email redacted].
Don't forget you can follow Melissa's progress and battle on Caring Bridge: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/melissawood
Thanks to everyone for their prayers and support during these difficult times.
In September 2012 a terrible pain came back. This time they thought it was bladder infections, but quickly realized the cancer was back. It was a tumor that attached to her ovary. They removed the tumor and one of her ovaries and suggested that she meet with a specialist. She went through chemo to get the cancer under control and underwent a very evasive surgery to rid her of the cancer. Once they opened her up she had to undergo a full hysterectomy, but they were still hopeful that she beat this thing. She again got a clean bill of health and was back to her normal self!
In January 2014 yet another terrible pain came back and it was determined that the cancer was back for the 3rd time. They realized the cancer had metastasized and there was a tumor in her abdominal lining and on her liver. Her oncologist sent her to Johns Hopkins in hopes of finding a clinical trial she could participate in. Unfortunately, she was not a good candidate for any of the trials currently running. The doctor explained that she would likely have to live with colon cancer since it recurred so many times and they would be unable to operate at this time. They recommended that she undergo a similar chemo treatment to what she previously had because her body reacted well to the treatments. However, these chemo treatments have not gone as expected. She has become very ill, in/out of the hospital, unable to eat, and not able to work much. Work is her outlet so she will not quit her job. However, she has been so ill she has only been able to work a very small amount of hours. This has caused a hard ship because of the multiple co-pays and prescriptions she has to take.
Melissa was very proud about asking for money, but so many people have asked how they can help. This is probably the best way to help Melissa at this point. She wants to try to keep her head above water with regards to her medical bills. I (Her cuzzy Susan.) am going to manage the website and funds for her bills so there is separation of function (I am a financial analyst by day and always like to keep the financial transactions on the up and up!!!!) because we want everyone to see/know that we are using any donations for a good reason:to help ease the burden of the medical bills Melissa is incurring! Every little bit helps and we appreciate everyone's support. If anyone would like to speak with me about donations, please email me at [email redacted].
Don't forget you can follow Melissa's progress and battle on Caring Bridge: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/melissawood
Thanks to everyone for their prayers and support during these difficult times.
Organizer
Susan Wood
Organizer
Norfolk, VA
