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My mom, Anna Johns, was diagnosed with Ocular Melanoma in June 2016. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with this type of cancer, we were too. The following link has some great basic information. http://www.ocularmelanoma.org/disease.htm.)
The tumor in her eye had been causing increasing discomfort for months while local doctors sought answers.
Living in Alaska for most of her adult life, she had to travel out-of-state to San Francisco, CA when she was referred to world renown specialist and surgeon, Dr. Devron Char. After extensive examination, my mom was prepped for surgery and Dr. Char was able to remove the entire tumor from her eye. Surgery was a success and we had won the battle.
In February 2017, we learned that we were not yet done fighting this war, her "OM" has metastasized and moved to her liver. This was a devastating discovery as there is currently no cure for this type of cancer. Standard chemotherapies have not been proven to be effective. Patients are encouraged to seek alternative therapies such as immunotherapies as well as reaching out to clinical trials. All of her doctors have stressed the time sensitivity of this case and have encouraged her to "hit it" with every option that she can, in the hopes of slowing down this aggressive cancer.
My mom applied to a clinical trial in Florida. My father flew there with her and they spent a week doing tests and exams in hopes of getting in to the trial. However, she did not qualify and they returned home. A week later they were referred to a clinical trial in Houston, TX. After meeting with several doctors and specialists they agreed to start her on 2 immunotherapies. These two therapies are originally designed to treat only standard melanoma but the doctors are hopeful that the combination of the two may have an effect on her tumors.
Unfortunately, my mom continues to wait to begin these treatments (which she can have administered in Anchorage). The insurance needs to give approval that they will cover the treaments. There is a chance that they will deny coverage.
Scenario 1: Insurance approves the 2 treatments. In this event, my mom will begin treatments at 2 week intervals for the next three months, at which point she will need to fly back down to Houston for the doctors to check if the tumors have (hopefully) shrunk. During this time frame, she would also seek out other alternative treaments to fight the spread of tumors. This will entail travelling to the International Biocare Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico.
Scenario 2: Insurance denies coverage of 2 recommended treaments. In the event that insurance will not cover the treatments, my mom will need to immediately return to Houston where she will be entered into the clinical trial. This will still last 3 months, the entirety of which will need to be spent in Houston.
As you can imagine, the costs of flying, hotels, and food, first to Florida and then in Texas have been astronomical. Our savings have been drained and we are not yet done fighting this battle. We are seeking help with covering the costs of travel and treaments. My mom is a real estate agent, she loves her job and is amazing at what she does, however she is unable to put in the time needed to create an income while she has been (and will continue to be) out-of-state so much. My dad has been working as much as possible, but he too has been travelling, to accompany my mom.
All of the funds collected through this GoFundMe campaign will go towards covering the travel costs and living expenses while she battles our biggest fears. She is a loving wife, amazing mother of 4, and passionate Nana to 7 grandchildren. You might not notice how sick she is when you pass her in the grocery store, as she puts on a beautifully brave face each and every day. She is active, fun-loving, and lives each day to imporve the lives of the ones she loves. We are doing everything we can, but we need your help.
Please, help us "Tell Cancer that Anna is a Nana" because we still need her.
The tumor in her eye had been causing increasing discomfort for months while local doctors sought answers.
Living in Alaska for most of her adult life, she had to travel out-of-state to San Francisco, CA when she was referred to world renown specialist and surgeon, Dr. Devron Char. After extensive examination, my mom was prepped for surgery and Dr. Char was able to remove the entire tumor from her eye. Surgery was a success and we had won the battle.
In February 2017, we learned that we were not yet done fighting this war, her "OM" has metastasized and moved to her liver. This was a devastating discovery as there is currently no cure for this type of cancer. Standard chemotherapies have not been proven to be effective. Patients are encouraged to seek alternative therapies such as immunotherapies as well as reaching out to clinical trials. All of her doctors have stressed the time sensitivity of this case and have encouraged her to "hit it" with every option that she can, in the hopes of slowing down this aggressive cancer.
My mom applied to a clinical trial in Florida. My father flew there with her and they spent a week doing tests and exams in hopes of getting in to the trial. However, she did not qualify and they returned home. A week later they were referred to a clinical trial in Houston, TX. After meeting with several doctors and specialists they agreed to start her on 2 immunotherapies. These two therapies are originally designed to treat only standard melanoma but the doctors are hopeful that the combination of the two may have an effect on her tumors.
Unfortunately, my mom continues to wait to begin these treatments (which she can have administered in Anchorage). The insurance needs to give approval that they will cover the treaments. There is a chance that they will deny coverage.
Scenario 1: Insurance approves the 2 treatments. In this event, my mom will begin treatments at 2 week intervals for the next three months, at which point she will need to fly back down to Houston for the doctors to check if the tumors have (hopefully) shrunk. During this time frame, she would also seek out other alternative treaments to fight the spread of tumors. This will entail travelling to the International Biocare Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico.
Scenario 2: Insurance denies coverage of 2 recommended treaments. In the event that insurance will not cover the treatments, my mom will need to immediately return to Houston where she will be entered into the clinical trial. This will still last 3 months, the entirety of which will need to be spent in Houston.
As you can imagine, the costs of flying, hotels, and food, first to Florida and then in Texas have been astronomical. Our savings have been drained and we are not yet done fighting this battle. We are seeking help with covering the costs of travel and treaments. My mom is a real estate agent, she loves her job and is amazing at what she does, however she is unable to put in the time needed to create an income while she has been (and will continue to be) out-of-state so much. My dad has been working as much as possible, but he too has been travelling, to accompany my mom.
All of the funds collected through this GoFundMe campaign will go towards covering the travel costs and living expenses while she battles our biggest fears. She is a loving wife, amazing mother of 4, and passionate Nana to 7 grandchildren. You might not notice how sick she is when you pass her in the grocery store, as she puts on a beautifully brave face each and every day. She is active, fun-loving, and lives each day to imporve the lives of the ones she loves. We are doing everything we can, but we need your help.
Please, help us "Tell Cancer that Anna is a Nana" because we still need her.
Organizer and beneficiary
Anna Johns
Beneficiary