Ulrich MaHarry Strong for Carolyn
Donation protected
From Carolyn's husband of 24 years, Joel MaHarry
Friday, September 29, 2017: Tough morning today, followed by a tough night tonight. All triggered by the morning report from Dr. Goldman that, based on the new CAT scans, the latest therapy (Carolyn's fifth) has failed to stop the progress of her Stage IV ovarian cancer. It's now working its way into her liver and across her lungs.
"How would you describe the cancer's progress?," I nervously asked Dr. Goldman. "I'm sorry to tell you, it's been significant," he answered. In 23 months of fighting this cancer, the answer was perhaps Carolyn's most difficult moment of all.
I held Carolyn close that night, trying to steer her whispered worries toward something brighter, warmer, healthier.
I know our incredible community of family and friends will help Carolyn draw the strength and determination she needs to meet the next hurdle — a newer form of immunotherapy paired with a traditional chemo infusion, to be paired with experimental forms of treatment that fall outside of the insurance company’s willingness to pay.
We've held faith in our oncologist's ability to arrest the cancer. Now, after two years, our needs for effective treatment, experimental treatment, and funding for both, have become way, way more urgent than ever before.
The financial rigors of contending with two years of intense, sophisticated surgeries and therapies and many, many hospital stays are not insignificant, even when you have decent insurance.
But this most recent news — the failure of a targeted treatment — has raised the stakes, the urgency, and the speed with which we could use your help.
Carolyn's doctors are moving as quickly as possible to plan the immunotherapy, which we hope will begin the week of Oct. 9. Any any support, would of course be greatly appreciated by Carolyn and me.
________________________________________________________
From Carolyn Ulrich MaHarry
A Woman's Story
I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer stage 4 Nov 1st, 2015. Ovarian cancer usually presents as stage 3 or 4. Doctors started me immediately on chemotherapy right up to my major surgery on January 26, 2016 where I had a complete hysterectomy and an overall cancer de-bulking as they cut me breastbone to pubic area to get out as much cancer as they could in the abdomen area -- stranding as well as lymph nodes.
Three weeks after surgery I again started chemotherapy, then chemotherapy after chemotherapy; debilitating side effect after side effect; pain; scan after scan. But none of it yet has rendered a successful outcome. The cancer is progressing; the chemotherapy has not yet been successful.
Now awaiting my next therapy, most likely a form of immunotherapy. So the search for what will work continues.
I will beat ovarian cancer and my vow for all women is to do something about the fact that there is no screening for this cancer.
Yes, that's true, NO SCREENING. It was the worst "surprise" of my life.
My husband and I moved in with family for the love and support we need. Even still, financial concerns continue to grow, and past and present medial bills continue to pile up. And now, as my battle continues against cancer, I find myself now fighting my insurance company to cover the things that my brilliant doctors think will work. They already turned down one drug, and now a fight continues on another.
We would be super thankful if there in any financial help you can provide.
I am very determined to win this war for all the others who lost, and for the ones now who fight with me, my loving husband and supportive family and friends.
Here's something I wrote recently that I dedicate to my loving husband:
The Way We Love To Be
Some-times
Some-times
Some-times
I want to fly above
Fly alongside the sky
Where I can catch the breeze
and maybe catch a song
to put inside my pocket
And see birds come out of the darkness and fly over the mountains
To find the light...
Where I am free....
Free thinking of me and you and
The way we love to be
To be free and unencumbered
No more shadows or worries
Only thoughts of me and you
And the way it used to be
Some-times
I want to drive my car fast,
windows all wide open,
alerting all my senses,
Morning's yellow light and
Smells of sunshine
Taste of oranges on my tongue
Fresh air whirling and swirling through my head and my hair
Music loud and crystal clear
where beauty fills the air
and echoes loveliness and grace
Making its way into my soul...
Where I am free....
Freeeeeee thinking of me and you
The way we love to be
To be free and unencumbered
No more shadows, or worries
Only thoughts of me and you
And the way it used to be
Some-times
Some-times
Some-times...
Friday, September 29, 2017: Tough morning today, followed by a tough night tonight. All triggered by the morning report from Dr. Goldman that, based on the new CAT scans, the latest therapy (Carolyn's fifth) has failed to stop the progress of her Stage IV ovarian cancer. It's now working its way into her liver and across her lungs.
"How would you describe the cancer's progress?," I nervously asked Dr. Goldman. "I'm sorry to tell you, it's been significant," he answered. In 23 months of fighting this cancer, the answer was perhaps Carolyn's most difficult moment of all.
I held Carolyn close that night, trying to steer her whispered worries toward something brighter, warmer, healthier.
I know our incredible community of family and friends will help Carolyn draw the strength and determination she needs to meet the next hurdle — a newer form of immunotherapy paired with a traditional chemo infusion, to be paired with experimental forms of treatment that fall outside of the insurance company’s willingness to pay.
We've held faith in our oncologist's ability to arrest the cancer. Now, after two years, our needs for effective treatment, experimental treatment, and funding for both, have become way, way more urgent than ever before.
The financial rigors of contending with two years of intense, sophisticated surgeries and therapies and many, many hospital stays are not insignificant, even when you have decent insurance.
But this most recent news — the failure of a targeted treatment — has raised the stakes, the urgency, and the speed with which we could use your help.
Carolyn's doctors are moving as quickly as possible to plan the immunotherapy, which we hope will begin the week of Oct. 9. Any any support, would of course be greatly appreciated by Carolyn and me.
________________________________________________________From Carolyn Ulrich MaHarry
A Woman's Story
I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer stage 4 Nov 1st, 2015. Ovarian cancer usually presents as stage 3 or 4. Doctors started me immediately on chemotherapy right up to my major surgery on January 26, 2016 where I had a complete hysterectomy and an overall cancer de-bulking as they cut me breastbone to pubic area to get out as much cancer as they could in the abdomen area -- stranding as well as lymph nodes.
Three weeks after surgery I again started chemotherapy, then chemotherapy after chemotherapy; debilitating side effect after side effect; pain; scan after scan. But none of it yet has rendered a successful outcome. The cancer is progressing; the chemotherapy has not yet been successful.
Now awaiting my next therapy, most likely a form of immunotherapy. So the search for what will work continues.
I will beat ovarian cancer and my vow for all women is to do something about the fact that there is no screening for this cancer.
Yes, that's true, NO SCREENING. It was the worst "surprise" of my life.
My husband and I moved in with family for the love and support we need. Even still, financial concerns continue to grow, and past and present medial bills continue to pile up. And now, as my battle continues against cancer, I find myself now fighting my insurance company to cover the things that my brilliant doctors think will work. They already turned down one drug, and now a fight continues on another.
We would be super thankful if there in any financial help you can provide.
I am very determined to win this war for all the others who lost, and for the ones now who fight with me, my loving husband and supportive family and friends.
Here's something I wrote recently that I dedicate to my loving husband:
The Way We Love To Be
Some-times
Some-times
Some-times
I want to fly above
Fly alongside the sky
Where I can catch the breeze
and maybe catch a song
to put inside my pocket
And see birds come out of the darkness and fly over the mountains
To find the light...
Where I am free....
Free thinking of me and you and
The way we love to be
To be free and unencumbered
No more shadows or worries
Only thoughts of me and you
And the way it used to be
Some-times
I want to drive my car fast,
windows all wide open,
alerting all my senses,
Morning's yellow light and
Smells of sunshine
Taste of oranges on my tongue
Fresh air whirling and swirling through my head and my hair
Music loud and crystal clear
where beauty fills the air
and echoes loveliness and grace
Making its way into my soul...
Where I am free....
Freeeeeee thinking of me and you
The way we love to be
To be free and unencumbered
No more shadows, or worries
Only thoughts of me and you
And the way it used to be
Some-times
Some-times
Some-times...
Organizer
Joel MaHarry
Organizer
Ojai, CA
