Help Laura FIGHT Cancer & Dialysis

Hello, my name is Robert Robins. Thank you for stopping by this page. Some of you know me, some of you know Laura and some of you may not know either of us. But my hopes are that by the time you read about my dear friend Laura and the devastating things that have happened in her life recently, that you will be moved to help and give now with this special fundraiser I have created for her with GoFundMe. Please feel free to pass on this link www.GoFundMe.com/LauraShifrin so that the most amount of eyes can read and contribute so that this will be a HUGE SUCCESS, THANK YOU.

This is Laura...

I would like to share a story with you about a very loving and caring human being, my dear friend Laura Shifrin who lives in Pembroke Pines, FL. She came in to buy a car and we met at my finance office at the Toyota dealership way back in 2002. She greeted me with such excitement and immediately she lit up our office. She does that everywhere she has ever gone. She has always been so positive and so much fun to be around. My best friend Laura Shifrin has a smile as big as the ocean. She smiles at everyone who comes in contact with her and immediately they are smiling right back at her.

This fundraiser is very important as Laura's medical costs have now become out of control and beyond what anyone can afford. She also needs a special pool lift to help her get in and out of her in-ground pool. Unfortunately her walking has become unsafe. She needs to keep her daily exercise up in the pool, so clearly getting her the help that she needs is  important. In addition, we are raising money for a special handicapped vehicle that will accommodate Laura and her electric wheelchair.



I am hoping that Laura's extended family, friends, my friends, everyone that knows either of us on the Internet and Facebook will see this page and will immediately donate what they can and then SHARE the link to this page with a few personal words about why others should also give. Together we can make an amazing difference for Laura. I am trying to raise the money needed to help greatly reduce Laura's huge pile of bills from 4 surgeries (yes money is owed even after insurance has paid), her up and coming cancer care bills, her specialists, ongoing dialysis bills, a pool lift for her exercise and for a special vehicle. 

Laura must find a better transportation solution that is safe. I can help her find the perfect special vehicle (set up with everything that she needs). You may not know this, but just about 18 months ago she could walk and drive herself anywhere, by herself in her own car but no longer. Now she must use an electric wheelchair and she is forced to use the public county transportation service to get back and forth. That adds at least an extra hour or more each way back and forth to her 3 day a week dialysis treatments and doctor appointments (which there are so many of).  Laura has been known to just get onto Pines Blvd. and drive back and forth to the hospital in her bright blue electric wheelchair. But that is unsafe as many of the streets do not have sidewalks in Pembroke Pines. Having her own vehicle will assure her very own safety and give her the independence that we all so enjoy.  It will be so amazing to hear that we have raised enough money to help Laura get these few things. After all, so many things have gone wrong with her health. I am sure that we can come together and each give a small donation to make that wonderful difference for Laura,



What Happened To Laura?

If you met Laura you would never know the tremendous CHRONIC PAIN that she suffers with daily. Her legs have greatly weakened, she is wobbly and has fallen 3 times in the last 2 years, requiring her to call the paramedics to help. She has 11 herniated discs that are the source of her chronic pain. She has also been diagnosed with fibromayalgia and greatly advanced osteo-arthritis in her knees and hips. She wears a strong pain patch to help her. She avoided pain medicine for so many years, but after taking prescribed huge amounts of ibuprofen to cope with her pain (about 15 years ago) it is that one prescription that actually caused the deterioration of her kidneys. Unfortunately, the past few years it has become very difficult for Laura to walk, so her doctors found a tremendous need for and prescribed an electric wheelchair. 



Diagnosed with End Stage Kidney Disease / Dialysis For the Rest of Her Life. 

In February 2017, Laura went to the ER with a debilitating headache, it had been lingering for more than 3 weeks. She was frustrated and by the end of her ER visit she was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure. Laura's kidneys were barely functioning at only 3%, virtually not working at all. That has not changed. The doctors told her she had to have a special surgery. They needed to put a catheter into her chest and attached it to her heart in order for them to make an access to use for her dialysis 3 x a week. If she did not have this surgery, the doctors told her that she would not live more than another 2-3 weeks and they said it would be awful. In addition, the kidney doctors have stated that there is no hope for her kidneys to ever improve and she is not a candidate to get a kidney transplant.  Of course she believes in the power of G-d and his almighty strength and power to use her and her life as an example to others in what he can do for Laura. I know because as a personal friend, I have visited her time and time again and I and anyone else can see that Laura has a sweet light inside of her. Despite her very serious medical conditions (that she lives with every day), she believes in G-d's ability to help her live as well as possible and that is where and I why she knows that the doctors negative outcome may not always be how her medical life progresses. But her kidneys are so sick. 




After taking just a few hours to discuss  and pray about this with her now fiancee Matt, they chose for Laura to LIVE and she said "Yes, let's do the surgery. I want to live!" to the doctors with that same big smile.

Laura has done everything that the doctors have asked her to. She has had a total of 4 surgeries since early in 2017. They did the catheter first, then they created a fistula (which failed) and then an AV Graft on her left arm. Laura has gone to the same dialysis center since the beginning and just when she was approaching her first anniversary of dialysis, a plan for an unexpected 4th surgery was about to be revealed.

Confirmation That Something is Not Right.

At a regular visit with Laura's endocrinologist, they found a large nodule/goiter that concerned him. He ordered an ultrasound and performed a fine needle biopsy. He called her to come in right away and told her that he wanted to have part or all of her thyroid removed. He suggested the very best thyroid surgeon in the area and Laura went to see him right away.
 
At the thyroid surgeon's office he told her, "Laura, I do not like the ultra sound pictures from the hospital so lets re-do them here right now on my ultra sound machine." What her doctor had originally seen was only 1 nodule, just 10 days later had quickly spread into 3 nodules. Just 2 weeks after her thyroidectomy (total removal of the thyroid), Laura found out that the surgeon had removed more than 10 nodules!

Diagnosed with Malignant Thyroid Cancer.

The final pathology report was read to her and carefully explained to her. Laura cried to me and said that she could not believe what she was being told, she had Malignant Thyroid Cancer. In addition, the lymph nodes taken had also come back and had already started to metastasize (spreading outside of the thyroid area). Laura will start the first of her cancer treatments in mid-April 2018.

I believe that Laura has not and she won't ever give up because she is an amazing super strong woman. She is the most honest, caring, loving friend that I have ever had. She makes friends with everyone she meets and has always helped anyone that has asked in any way that she could.

Laura Needs Our Help Now! www.GoFundMe.com/LauraShifrin 

PLEASE reach deep down and show her that you believe in her. There are MANY people that do and I believe that she will fight this end stage renal disease, thyroid cancer diagnosis, chronic pain with 11 herniated disks and still live as best as she can.

Every and any amount given to Laura will make a difference, because the JOY is in us doing this together for her. I know that with your donations we will not only make a difference in her life, we will help her survive and thrive. G-d bless you for anything that you can do to help us, help her.


Thank you,
Robert Robins