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CANCER SUCKS!! - The Kuhuski Saga

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The Kuhuski family was shocked when Melissa suffered a devastating cancer diagnosis and treatment journey, and they are in need of help to cross the finish line.
Melissa Kuhuski is the proud mom of teenaged children Kylie and Mason, a wife of 24 years to Nathan where they live in Placerville, CA. Due to complications of metastatic breast cancer, Melissa recently become paralyzed from her mid-chest to her toes. Her supportive and loving family has been overwhelmed with the needs of her care but remains ever supportive. Unfortunately, these circumstances have overwhelmed the family with financial challenges as Melissa’s treatment has progressed. The family would greatly appreciate any help available as they walk this road, which began in 2021.
Melissa loves helping people and has always looked for ways to serve family and friends alike. This drive to help has shown through as she assists at the kids’ schools, their church, and in her work. Her career led her to launch her own small business where she provides professional services in office management and coordinating with real estate agent offices.
In November of 2021 she found a lump in her right breast which was painful around times of ovulation. Fast forward to March of 2022 following a series of tests and a biopsy which revealed a devastating diagnosis: Her2 and Estrogen positive, Progesterone negative breast cancer in her right breast and a lymph node, the size and location of tumor indicated the cancer had progressed to Stage 2A. Markers were put in and the gambit of medical consults began. A general surgeon, a radiation oncologist, a plastic surgeon, and an oncologist were just the beginning of a series of medical treatment avenues. Shortly before the diagnosis Melissa’s husband had started a new job, and Nathan’s employer was highly supportive which allowed him to accompany her to every appointment, while her friends and family rallied in her corner.
With the eventual goal of performing a lumpectomy following a course of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, Melissa’s treatment began in May of 2022 as she embarked on a course of infusions every 3 weeks for a total of 6 treatments. After the first session she experienced terrible hair follicle pain, and realizing this signaled the loss of her hair, her husband Nathan helped shave her head. They shed tears as they dealt with this new normal and boarded the rollercoaster of chronic fatigue which only seemed to subside just as the next round of treatment was due.
Family from across the country traveled to her side and pitched in: mother-in-law and sister-in-law from Phoenix, parents and sister from Seattle- all pitched in to help their children maintain a modicum of normalcy- which greatly supported Melissa and Nathan.
By the end of August 2022, Melissa was on a familiar breast cancer track of shrunken tumor, decisions regarding mastectomy vs lumpectomy, reconstruction, and genealogy testing to assist in those choices. With a chec2 positive genealogy result, and the need for removal of all the tissue which had been affected by the cancer, Melissa opted for a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. After her surgery she was prescribed Tamoxifin and began “maintenance” infusion of Kadcyla which was scheduled every three weeks for a total of 14 infusions. As during the previous 6 infusions, these were to be administered via IV. Just before Thanksgiving 2022, Melissa started radiation therapy and completed 25 sessions of radiation by the end of December. At this point she experienced lymphedema in her right arm and could no longer receive chemotherapy treatment in that arm, so her left arm would have to endure all the remaining infusions.
The family experienced a few good months as life was beginning to return back to normal, and other than the continued “maintenance” infusions her cancer treatment appeared to be coming to an end. At the end of May Melissa began to have pain in her upper back and shoulders, which she assumed was from too much computer work or prolonged sitting. In June she visited her family clinic to see what kind of relief they could provide for chronic sore back and shoulders.
On a prior Tuesday she had received lidocaine injections to her right shoulder blade area and was prescribed Baclofen. By Wednesday she noticed some numbness in her abdomen and thought it was from taking Baclofen (muscle relaxer). By Friday she began having difficulty walking as her right knee or hip would buckle unexpectedly, with family members catching her. By Saturday, she arrived at an ER unable to walk without assistance. Another barrage of tests included a CT scan, which showed lesions on her spine and in her pelvic area. She spent an agonizing weekend in the hospital with IV meds for pain control, and when the next week began, she was transferred to a hospital with an oncology department to receive the diagnosis that her breast cancer had indeed metastasized to her spine, pelvic region, and ribcage.
In the midst of all these experiences, “normal” life things occurred which brought her despair at not being able to assist like she wanted to, while at the same time causing her to marvel at their relative simplicity. Her father injured his ankle, and that turned out to be a fracture. Her newly licensed daughter had a car accident, but thankfully no one was injured.
With an eye toward slowing tumor growth, regaining mobility in her legs, and restarting chemotherapy, she and her care team made some difficult decisions- with a focus on sequencing treatments for the best outcome. Melissa and Nathan had been down this track before as they moved through proactive bilateral mastectomy, breast reconstruction, tissue expander insertion, removal of tissue expanders, MRIs, CT scans, PET scans, port insertion assessment, genetic testing, chemotherapy, radiation, transfers from med to surgical to oncology services, hospital facility transfers, each with its own set of answers and tolls. Next up would be the treatment with potentially the greatest risk: back surgery to decompress her spinal cord as 5 radiation treatments and other therapies were failing to reduce the tumor which was invading her back which rendered Melissa immobile and in constant debilitating pain.
In June of this year, Melissa underwent spinal decompression surgery and instrumentation. The 4-hour procedure removed roughly a teaspoon’s worth of tumor and crushed vertebrae, and installed bars, plates, and screws from T2 to T10. During a two-week recovery in the hospital, Melissa and Nathan met with a new oncologist who prescribed yet another round of chemotherapy to begin as soon as possible which would continue for the rest of her life- as long as it continued to affect the cancer. Finally, after a month in the hospital and reporting pain off the assessment scale, Melissa was discharged to home care.
Though cautiously optimistic, the family are exhausted on all fronts: physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. Melissa’s new condition, being confined to a wheelchair and needing the equipment to move her from different locations required them to modify their house, purchase assistive equipment, and engage home health services. Physical and occupational therapy are helping Melissa regain strength in her upper body, and she continues to work on her overall condition.
The family is in serious need of help at this time. Melissa has been unable to work at her full capacity and longs to make a full return to her work as a Transaction Coordinator/Real Estate Assistant. Medical bills which were not covered by their insurance are beginning to pile on top of the family’s standard bills, and they could use any support people could extend to their family. They thank you for your kindness and wish you all the best.


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Donations 

  • Jim Copeland
    • $100
    • 9 mos
  • Anonymous
    • $100
    • 1 yr
  • Anonymous
    • $100
    • 1 yr
  • Anonymous
    • $200
    • 1 yr
  • Nishan Sandhar
    • $150
    • 1 yr
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Fundraising team (3)

Kuhuski Family
Organizer
Placerville, CA
Kimberly Abhat
Team member
Mike Krueger
Team member

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