It all started with a persistent cough…


If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting my mom, you know that she is a giver. She gives and gives; to those she loves, to those she works with, and even to complete strangers simply because she wants to help whoever, whenever she can. For my mom, giving her time, her love, and even her charity brings her joy. For the last months, giving has been very difficult for our “Paula, Paula.”


It all started early 2019 with a persistent cough, the kind of cough that rattles your bones and strains your whole body with its force. After months of suffering with what we believed was a virus, allergies, or ANYTHING other than what it was, chest x-rays revealed a concerning reality; a mass was rapidly growing around her right bronchial tube, compressing the airway to her right lung. 


Paula’s cancerous growth, which is in fact multiple lesions on her lung and liver, is a rare neuroendocrine carcinoid tumor. In the months since her diagnosis, Paula has endured multiple rounds of potent chemo. Between the treatment and her illness, Paula’s energy has been sapped, her body struggling to heal itself while fighting its invader. Her ability to be the GIVER she is has been stolen by cancer. She is unable to care for and play with her grandchildren, Austin and Samantha. Her inability to be the mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt we all know and love has taken a huge toll on her both emotionally and physically. 


Just this past week, Paula suffered a setback following a virus that aggravated her lung, resulting in a multi-day hospitalization with ambulance transfer. Next week, she will undergo additional assessment to see if part of the tumor pressing on her bronchial tube can be lasered in order to relieve some of the pressure and re-open the path to her right lung.


This Go-Fund Me campaign has been established to help Paula weather the storm the next several weeks and months may bring as her treatment becomes more financially straining and more physically risky. It is our goal to provide Paula with the peace of mind that her mounting medical costs will be taken care of so that she can focus on fighting her way back to being the giver she is at her core.