Donación protegida
In June 2018 I was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer. I was 38 years old and had just finished up my first year of graduate school. I was in Ireland, working as a graduate assistant for my school's study abroad program, when I had a seizure while walking around the city by myself. My cancer started in my rectum and spread to my brain. A year later, I went back to Ireland after having finished my second year of grad school and a slew of medical procedures including brain surgery, 12 rounds of chemo, five rounds of radiation, and a temporary ileostomy bag.
I was NED (no evidence of disease) from March until June (YAY!), when a PET scan revealed lung nodules. I was hopeful that the nodules were nothing. A second PET scan in October revealed that the nodules doubled in size and a needle biopsy confirmed that the cancer spread to my lungs. The fear of recurrence is always in the back of every cancer survivor's mind; a stage IV diagnosis means you're always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I didn't expect a recurrence to happen quite this soon. I was finally adjusting to my new normal and enjoying my last year of grad school.
I started chemo again in November but this round of treatment is different; I am unemployed and the chemo cocktail I am on leaves me so nauseated that I can barely get off the couch, much less find a job. Going into treatment, my immune system isn't as strong this time around which also creates a challenge. I have to be extra diligent since my risk of neutropenia (and infection) is greater. I will need four rounds of chemo over the course of two months and I may need radiation after that. I'm crossing my fingers that this is all over with in January but since I'm stage IV you just never know.
These funds will help cover the cost of my ever increasing medical bills. My annual out-of-pocket max is $6,850 and I'm still paying off medical bills from my last round of treatments. My medical bills are about to increase from $388 a month to $500 and that doesn't include future debt I will incur. My husband is carrying our entire financial burden; your donation will help ease this stress and fill in the gaps until I am well enough to start working again.
I was NED (no evidence of disease) from March until June (YAY!), when a PET scan revealed lung nodules. I was hopeful that the nodules were nothing. A second PET scan in October revealed that the nodules doubled in size and a needle biopsy confirmed that the cancer spread to my lungs. The fear of recurrence is always in the back of every cancer survivor's mind; a stage IV diagnosis means you're always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I didn't expect a recurrence to happen quite this soon. I was finally adjusting to my new normal and enjoying my last year of grad school.
I started chemo again in November but this round of treatment is different; I am unemployed and the chemo cocktail I am on leaves me so nauseated that I can barely get off the couch, much less find a job. Going into treatment, my immune system isn't as strong this time around which also creates a challenge. I have to be extra diligent since my risk of neutropenia (and infection) is greater. I will need four rounds of chemo over the course of two months and I may need radiation after that. I'm crossing my fingers that this is all over with in January but since I'm stage IV you just never know.
These funds will help cover the cost of my ever increasing medical bills. My annual out-of-pocket max is $6,850 and I'm still paying off medical bills from my last round of treatments. My medical bills are about to increase from $388 a month to $500 and that doesn't include future debt I will incur. My husband is carrying our entire financial burden; your donation will help ease this stress and fill in the gaps until I am well enough to start working again.
Coorganizadores (2)
Christy Lorio
Organizador
New Orleans, LA
Thomas Fewer
Coorganizador