My name is Jenn and together with my siblings, I am setting up this fund for my mom, Melissa.

In December of 2023, around Christmas, mom came down with what we thought was a normal illness, something going around. Myself and mom daughter also got sick with similar symptoms about a week later around New Year's Eve. My daughter and I got better after about a week; Mom never fully recovered to her normal self.

After, dealing with this illness, in April 2024, I came down the hallway to check on mom. She was on the floor, her muscles were shaking and she was barely responsive. I got her to the ER and they said she was in septic shock. It was touch and go for the next few days but she pulled through. They began looking for reasons for the sepsis and the found abnormalities on her scans.

At the end of May, Mom was officially diagnosed with stage 4 Neuroendocrine Carcinoma, a rare and aggressive type of cancer. The cancer had started as cervical and uterine with metastasis in her lungs. She started treatment in June: 10 sessions of targeted radiation to be followed by chemo and immunotherapy indefinitely.

She finished her radiation and at the beginning of July, did her first round of chemo. The radiation affected her GI tract and she ended up back in the hospital. She was there for 6 weeks and was sent to in-patient physical therapy. She was there until September.

After that long stay, her oncologist said her body could not tolerate the chemo and that there was no more treatment to be done. We have been following up with her primary care physician up until this point.

December 26th, 2024 mom said her eyes were "glitchy". Because of all the symptoms she was having, I was worried she was having a stroke and we ended up in the hospital again. At that point it was discovered that there were metastasis in her brain that had caused seizures. Whole brain radiation was recommended to shrink the tumors and delay the effects. 9 sessions of radiation were completed.

Up until this point, my oldest brother and I were being her caretakers. The cancer in her lungs had grown and was affecting her ability to breathe. That, coupled with the toll that radiation takes on the body had made her weak. Just before Valentine's day she had trouble breathing to the point that it was time for another hospital trip. Her primary care doctor recommended a private ER that could help with things like pneumonia but would be less likely to expose her to all the germs present in a regular hospital. We took her to this ER and they immediately said that she would need to be taken via ambulance to the regular hospital because the situation did not look great.

On Valentine's day, we spent the night in the ER. Imaging was taken which showed that there was no fluid in her lungs but that the cancer had spread to the point that she could no longer intake enough oxygen. We we're admitted in the wee hours of the morning on the 15th. She was stable enough that they admitted her to the respiratory unit. As they were trying to get her set up and comfortable, at about 4 AM, here blood pressure dropped and she had to be moved to the ICU. By 8:30AM on the 15th discussion began about palliative care, DNR's and what her final wishes are.

She was on oxygen and lucid enough to make eye contact, shake her head and make hand gestures to communicate but too weak to speak much. Family and friends were able to come in and see her. By the evening of the 15th she was no longer communicating. At about 4AM on the 16th, it was decided to move her to a regular room and keep her comfortable.

As of writing this, it is now the 17th. She has not opened her eyes or been responsive since the 15th. She is not hooked up to any machines, she is still breathing with oxygen and is not in any pain. We will be moving her up to the hospice floor to wait for her date with Jesus.

Update: Mom passed away February 18, 2025 at 3:35pm. We are putting together the details of her service.