Help, Support Iovana Bravo's Battle with Cancer

It is with a heavy heart, we share Iovana’s story……
 
March 2017 her story begins. Her brother, German surprised her with an invitation to fly to Colombia to celebrate their birthday’s. The trip was scheduled for March 24, 2017.
 
On March 21st, Iovana started having unbearable excruciating abdominal pain. She was taken to the emergency room and admitted right way, given morphine and questioned around the symptoms. On the second day, doctors began exploratory testing, completed both an endoscopy and a colonoscopy.  When she woke from the anesthesia, was given the shocking news, she had a tumor and needed to consult a oncology surgeon as soon as possible. Little did everyone know the news given that March evening would change Iovana’s life forever and traveling was out of the question?
 
On March 24, 2017, the day before her 48thbirthday; she was given the results; stage 4 gastric cancer and she needed surgery to remove the tumor. She had a problem – no medical insurance. With no insurance she reached out for public help at with no avail. After spending the entire month of April talking to multiple social workers and various public hospitals she continued to hear she had an income and did not quality for public help. Scared, disappointed and frustrated it was time for a family gathering and the difficult decision was made to leave the US and return to Colombia for treatment. Iovana left for Colombia April 28th, 2017.
 
May 6, 2017, she met with a surgeon who explained the process and the possible outcomes of the surgery. The surgery could go one of two ways …remove the tumor or exploratory surgery depending upon what the surgeon found. The determining factor - had the cancer metastasized into the peritoneal cavity? The surgery happened, the cancer did metastasized and the tumor was left in place.
 
Following the exploratory surgery, she consulted an oncologist and started rigorous chemotherapy. After a six-month regiment of chemo the tumor was gone however the peritoneal metastasis remained and she started a 21-day regimen of 6 pills daily.  On July 15th, Iovana married her longtime boyfriend, love of her life so he could add her to his health insurance.  December 8th, 2017, she was finally given the okay to return to her home in South Florida, back to her life and family.
 
In April 2018 back in South Florida, she was able to find a great oncologist, who agreed to follow the same protocol that she was on in Colombia; everything was going well until September 2018 when she relapsed. At this point, doctors decided they needed to approach her treatment with a more aggressive chemotherapy. The side effects are debilitating, she has lost all her hair and nails. She has not been able to eat, which has caused excessive weight loss. She has suffered extensive nerve damage, neuropathy, in both her feet and hands, but she would say, “I am alive and fighting with all my strength.”
 
A month ago, doctors informed her the treatment stopped working, however he was willing to try something else to extend her life. One big problem – this time she had insurance, however the insurance was not going to cover this new treatment because this was not designed for gastric cancer ONLY approved for patients with ovarian cancer. Being the humanitarian he immediately told her not to worry about it. We will get everything at no cost through the pharmaceutical labs and he did.  On July 14, 2019, she started this new treatment.
 
Those who know Iovana would vouch for her being a devoted loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She is a strong, dedicated and loving human with a kind serving heart. She is always smiling and puts others needs before her own.  Since her diagnosis she has had to continue working, her loving husband continues to work 7 days a week; family members are working extra hours to help.
 
We are requesting funds as soon as possible to help with all aspects of her treatment, medical expenses and to help support her family during this difficult time.  Any small donation would go long way….. Together We Achieve More!

 
Please keep Iovana in your prayers and thank you so much for your generosity and support.