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Less than 2 months ago, on a warm Arizona evening, my little sister Carol went to bed only to wake up to a world forever changed. The extraordinary events began unfolding in the night with an electrifying dream (the kind you know isn’t just a dream) in which she was told she needed to get into the doctor right away. Lest there be any confusion as to what was wrong, she woke with her hand resting on the problem area. By weeks end, following two mammograms and an ultrasound she knew this was serious. By the end of the second week, there was no doubt.
At the age of 55, with a 19-year-old son just launching into life and another son navigating childhood at age 11, my sister, Carol J. Horton, was diagnosed with not one but two kinds of breast cancers affecting both breasts (invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma) and a lymph node. While this kind of event undoubtedly launches any family into an unimaginable crisis, in her case it was particularly poignant. This is because her husband was the age of their younger son when his mother died of this same illness. But this was only the beginning of all that would change in a very short time.
As is often the case, Carol had to stop working to begin managing the enormity of the process of getting fully diagnosed, which has entailed endless appointments and countless tests. The loss of income caused understandable stress but was unavoidable. Then, however, the truly unexpected happened. Her husband was suddenly given notice that he would be losing his job, shortly, as the university he had worked at for over 18 yrs was closing. It was truly the unthinkable as the loss of his income also means the loss of their insurance.
Carol will need a double mastectomy with reconstruction, hormone therapy, and possible chemotherapy. She will also need on-going testing to determine the efficacy of the different treatments. The extensive nature of the testing that is currently being done also revealed that she needs an additional surgery to remove one or more parathyroid glands and there is a yet to be determined problem with one of her kidneys. As a hospice nurse I am acutely aware that often, even with insurance, the cost of all these treatments and hospitalizations can be astronomical but without insurance, it becomes a catastrophic financial crisis that will affect them for years to come. It is, for this reason, we decided to reach out to you for your support in this time of great need and would be so very grateful for any assistance you could offer. My sister and her family would like you to know in advance that your kindness and compassion is deeply felt and appreciated.
Our goal is to raise $ 150,000 for the sole purpose of funding all of the following medical expenses which will include:
· Multiple surgeries and hospitalizations
· Integrative medical treatments
· Medications to treat the cancer and manage the side effects
· On-going testing to determine the efficacy of the treatments and to determine others as needed.
· Supplemental insurance
· Other medical expenses as they arise
Please consider sharing this link on your social media page and any other area you can think of so that we may reach additional people who may be able to help Carol and her family.
At the age of 55, with a 19-year-old son just launching into life and another son navigating childhood at age 11, my sister, Carol J. Horton, was diagnosed with not one but two kinds of breast cancers affecting both breasts (invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma) and a lymph node. While this kind of event undoubtedly launches any family into an unimaginable crisis, in her case it was particularly poignant. This is because her husband was the age of their younger son when his mother died of this same illness. But this was only the beginning of all that would change in a very short time.
As is often the case, Carol had to stop working to begin managing the enormity of the process of getting fully diagnosed, which has entailed endless appointments and countless tests. The loss of income caused understandable stress but was unavoidable. Then, however, the truly unexpected happened. Her husband was suddenly given notice that he would be losing his job, shortly, as the university he had worked at for over 18 yrs was closing. It was truly the unthinkable as the loss of his income also means the loss of their insurance.
Carol will need a double mastectomy with reconstruction, hormone therapy, and possible chemotherapy. She will also need on-going testing to determine the efficacy of the different treatments. The extensive nature of the testing that is currently being done also revealed that she needs an additional surgery to remove one or more parathyroid glands and there is a yet to be determined problem with one of her kidneys. As a hospice nurse I am acutely aware that often, even with insurance, the cost of all these treatments and hospitalizations can be astronomical but without insurance, it becomes a catastrophic financial crisis that will affect them for years to come. It is, for this reason, we decided to reach out to you for your support in this time of great need and would be so very grateful for any assistance you could offer. My sister and her family would like you to know in advance that your kindness and compassion is deeply felt and appreciated.
Our goal is to raise $ 150,000 for the sole purpose of funding all of the following medical expenses which will include:
· Multiple surgeries and hospitalizations
· Integrative medical treatments
· Medications to treat the cancer and manage the side effects
· On-going testing to determine the efficacy of the treatments and to determine others as needed.
· Supplemental insurance
· Other medical expenses as they arise
Please consider sharing this link on your social media page and any other area you can think of so that we may reach additional people who may be able to help Carol and her family.