Dawn: A New Day-Help Dawn Beat a Rare Brain Cancer
Cancer is something we all are all too familiar with. It seems each of us has a story in which the horrors of this illness has touched someone we love. This is the story of Dawn-Marie (aka Mommo); a loving mother, a dedicated wife, and a human being always dedicated to helping others, even if it meant sacrificing her own health or savings for the sake of her family, friends, and strangers alike. Though she has always been independent in her handling of circumstances, she is now in need of the same selflessness and light which she has gifted to the world around her.
Dawn was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in July of 2015. Everything changed from that day on. Dawn would continue to suffer from headaches and seizures on a near daily basis. As the tumor continued to grow, doctors continued to follow it. They wanted her to have a biopsy to see what they were dealing with exactly. After conducting a biopsy, we awaited the news. The inoperable brain tumor was misdiagnosed and doctors were now saying it was removable! With much deliberation, the decision was made to go through with the surgery.
Whenever the life of a loved one is in the balance, it becomes a time of reflection. On the date of surgery and leading up to it, Dawn and her family reflected on good times and the not so good, but laughed and cried at both in hindsight. Laughter has always been Dawn's secret to get through things. Not just laughter, but the ability to make others laugh and to uplift the situation, even when she struggled at times. Her sense of humor has been not only a tool for survival , but a gift to those around her. Even in the face of major surgery, signing off the papers, she laughed and joked with her kids. We knew she could pull through.
After a long wait for her family outside in the waiting room in March of 2019, her surgeon came out and told us the surgery was a success and 95% of the tumor had been removed. While it was hard for Dawn's family to see her in pain after her surgery, there was some relief now that the tumor was mostly gone. They told her it would be a few months until recovery.
Sadly, after five months, the glioneuronal tumor grew back in size by 2 centimeters. Followed by the news that the initial diagnoses, prior to surgery had been wrong. The tumor was now a conglomeration of two different cancer cells into one tumor. It was crushing news, a sudden and swift turn from the positive outlook we had. The notion was devastating, cancer was trying to take away the beautiful mother to three children, two step-children, and devoted wife of twenty-years to her husband.
After the initial shock, we tried to be positive and explore our options. Dawn and her family consulted many doctors and specialists. Radiation and chemo being last resort, Dawn was trying to find anything that could help from natural treatments to pharmaceutical.
As doctor's continued to track the cancer, the clock was quickly ticking. After just a month and a half, the tumor had grown by 3cm. Dawn agreed to start chemo and radiation for the cancer. There was already enough for her to face. Bills were building up, her home falling apart, and her insurance ran out just in time for her recent diagnosis.
We ask humbly but urgently for your help. Dawn's family and friends are pouring everything into helping, but there is still so much to be done to ensure the rest of her treatment is successful and comfortable as can be. She has always put everyone else first, even in the toughest of times. She has always shared what she had whether it was advice, food, laughter, friendship, or whatever it may be. It is time for us to return the selflessness which she has shown throughout her life. Let's do what we can to be the break of light shining through in the darkest times. Let's be the Dawn in her life. Please help in anyway you can whether it be a donation, a share, and showing your support for her. She needs our help now, more than ever.
What will the funds be used for?
-Medical expenses
-House repairs (The house has had long term mold issues and is falling apart. We need to eliminate any additional health threats from the house, being that Dawn will grow more sensitive to these things throughout the course of her chemotherapy.)
-Natural treatments to take alongside the radiation and chemo, to aid the process and to keep her immune system strong as possible.
