Appendix Cancer ~ Yes, it is a thing!

"Appendix cancer....is that a thing?"

The answer is yes, and it is EXTREMELY rare. Like one in 2 million people rare.

My name is Laura and I and fundraising for Kim Hensley as she navigates a diagnosis of appendix cancer. Kim is a massage therapist at Tranquility Massage and Bodywork. She is a single mother of two adult children and she is her sole source of income and support.

Early in January, Kim was home on a normal Tuesday evening when she doubled over in pain...a quick trip to urgent care turned into a ride to the ER and a hospital stay.... and so began Kim's journey. She was told in the hospital that there was a tumor in her appendix, that it was most likely cancerous and was sent home to follow up with a surgeon. This is when having an HMO can be super challenging... Long story short...In late January, Kim had her appendix removed. The bad news is the tumor was indeed cancerous, the good news was at first glance it appeared fully contained. Kim was sent home to recover and to wait on the in-depth pathology report. The good news did not last. The pathology report showed that cancer had permeated the appendix. This means that Kim needs to have the ascending part of her colon removed. With all the testing and insurance ducks in a row fast forward to now.....surgery is scheduled for April 13th.

Please help us raise funds so that Kim can navigate this unfortunate health setback. Kim does not have paid time off or fancy health insurance benefits. Kim is responsible for all of her expenses, mortgage, health insurance, deductible and co-pays, utilities, car payment....all the typical adult stuff, but in the massage industry, if you are not working, you are not paid. Please, if you can help, donate. Don't want to donate cash? Gift cards to Meijer, Walmart or Aldi, can be dropped off at Tranquility Massage (15905 S. Frederick Street, Suite 101, Plainfield, IL 60586) during office hours. And please share this with your friends and family.

Kim is one in a million...and not just because her cancer is so rare! Please take a moment to help her through this difficult and scary time.