Here's my sister Katrena on her wedding day. Our oldest brother Rickey is on her right.

Andrew Porter became my new brother that day and together they blessed me with an amazing and smart nephew Adrian and a beautiful and loving niece Natalie.

 

It wasn't until sometime at the beginning of 2021 when I started to hear about her back hurting. At this time, she's 28 years old. We're getting older and our bodies are not getting any younger. I have back problems, so does my brother and mom, so nothing was really thought about it. A few months went by, and she started saying that she felt like a rib had come out of place and that it was really bothering her. She thought it was because she had popped her back and it was just sore from the chiropractor.

 

As time went on, she continued to get worse and no matter what she did or what she tried, nothing worked. We knew something was wrong and that she needed to get help. We were finally able to get her to see the doctor so she could get a referral to a back specialist. This was around Halloween when she received an MRI and it revealed that she had two fractured places in her spine. Her specialist assured her that it would heal in time, and he ordered her to do physical therapy. From the time between Halloween until Thanksgiving, she came from walking to using a walker and from the time from Thanksgiving until Christmas, she came from using a walker to barely being able to stand.

 

We were relying on her specialist who specialized in this field to give her the correct treatment and care that they are sworn to when they take the oath. On her next appointment, I went with her and Mom to see what he had to say for myself, and I was not impressed, I was livid. ("Don't go to the hospital ER because they're just going to give you a shot and send you home", he said.)

 

February 8: Less than a week from that visit, she had to go to the hospital in Fort Worth. The pain became too unbearable for her to handle so she made the decision to finally go. There was no more waiting. The doctors went right to work and was able to find the cause of her pain. It was cancer. She had it in her breasts, it spread to her liver and then to her spine.
February 9: They took a biopsy from her liver to find out about the type and kind it was.
February 11: We were told that they found more; it was in her brain. She was immediately transported to Texas Health Huguley Hospital Fort Worth South for they could begin emergency chemo.

 

February 14: We were finally able to speak to one of her doctors. He was amazed by the amount of support she had there with her but shocked in disbelief that we weren't told anything beyond the fact about her condition. He began telling us that her cancer developed in the breast then spread. Her back was fractured in multiple places because it went to her bones. There is a large tumor on her L5 vertebrae that is growing and pushing against her nerve causing her to be unable to walk. It spread to her brain, and she has 10 lesions. She has stage 4 adenocarcinoma cancer.

 

His plan of attack is to immediately do 10 treatments of Target radiation on the tumor in her spine and the 10 lesions in her brain. She'll start chemotherapy right away and will have to be put into a rehabilitation center until she improves. He assured us that it is treatable and curable. For her not to show any other signs or symptoms and her age is a great factor for her to overcome this disease. She has a tremendous amount of support behind her, and she will overcome this because my sister is the strongest woman that I know. She's going to come home with her husband to their children.

 

We're asking for donations to cover the costs of medical and doctor bills. $5,000 is nowhere near the amount that she's going to need but it's a start. On top of it, Andrew, her husband, must go back to work and can't be there by her side because he still must provide for his family. Bills still come in regardless. Any donation, whether it be large or small, will be a blessing and one last thing that she would worry about.

 

We all thank you for the love and support that has poured in over the last few days. We are staying hopeful and positive, praying to God every day that this demon in disguise inside her will be no more. 

 

Thank you all and with much love,

 

Brandon Bottorff

 

I love you sister! I'd do anything to be in your place right now. You're strong, tough as nails, and our faith in God will get us through this and we'll both look back one day and say it was just a bump in the road.