Brandie's Story: A One-In-A-Million Diagnosis

In March last year (2022), Brandie was diagnosed with a rare form of blood vessel cancer. It’s called “angiosarcoma” and her tumor is lodged in her left cheek, just under her eye.

The diagnosis could not have come at a worse time: she and her husband had just finalized the adoption of their second daughter, and Brandie was still trying to navigate her own mother’s untimely death that left her feeling alone in her first year of parenting.

Initially, the doctors recommended the standard conventional treatment: surgery, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. But since the tumor is in her face, these treatments (particularly the first two) would be utterly devastating and would involve prosthetic replacement of her nose and cheek. Angiosarcomas make up fewer than a fraction of 1% of all cancer cases, there is anything but a guarantee that this conventional approach would cure her of the disease.

Taking the Next Step

That being the case, Brandie and her husband have been exploring alternative treatment options. Over the past year, they have made significant diet and lifestyle changes that increasingly make her body inhospitable for the continued growth of cancer while halting the spread. So far, the tumor has shown signs of shrinking and has not spread to the lymph system.

However, more is needed. Brandie is opting for treatment at an integrative cancer center, the Florida Integrative Medical Center (FLIMC). FLIMC is the premier destination for holistic and integrative health care on the Gulf Coast, their team aim to treat the whole person, not just the tumor, while determining the origins of the disease and strengthening her immune system to destroy the cancer.

Brandie’s treatment will start with an RGCC liquid biopsy; this will give her doctors comprehensive information about her genetics, physiology and immune profiles. It will assist doctors in producing an individual profile of chemotherapeutic drugs as well as natural and cutting-edge treatments that can be used to achieve the best outcomes. Once her treatment roadmap is created by the FLIMC team of doctors, she will receive multiple treatments in Sarasota, Florida. Treatment cycles can last up to a month, and follow-up treatment will be needed as well.

What We Can Do

As you might imagine, this line of treatment is costly and very little is covered by insurance. Monthly treatment costs and living expenses will exceed $30,000 and will be executed multiple times. Please consider donating to her next phase of treatment.

We believe that God and with the help of the loving communities Brandie and Bret have been a part of, we will be able to bring healing to her. We ask that you join us in prayer and HOPE. Brandie is the most genuinely nurturing and kind soul who has given her light to so many. She is fighting for her daughters, husband, family, and all of the people and communities she has served. Now, she and her family need all the help we can muster.

All donations will go towards her medical bills, travel expenses and living expenses incurred during her treatments in Sarasota, Florida.

We would love for you to create an account with CaringBridge and follow Brandie during her journey. This will give you access to Brandie's page and allow you to receive updates to her journal, send prayer requests via the "Well Wishes" tab, see her planner that will have requests for assistance that friends and family can help with, and access her GoFundMe through the "Ways to Help" tab. Please see the quick link below to access Brandie's CaringBridge site.

Thank you,

Brandie & her Family

To donate to Brandie's treatment fund, please contribute on this GoFundMe site.

To access Brandie's CaringBridge site, please visit this link: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/brandiemavrich3