Help Carolyn Fight Her Battle
Donazione protetta
On her 45th birthday, my sister Carolyn LaPierre Kartzke was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer that had metastasized to her bones. She underwent chemotherapy followed by surgery to remove the tumor in her breast. She is being treated by Dr. Teresa Helsten at UCSD/Moores Cancer Center. Her scans in May showed no signs of disease. For the last three months she has been on hormonal therapy with Arimidex since her type of breast cancer feeds on hormones, as well Lupron injections to keep her in menopause and a monthly does of Zometa for her bones.
She had her 3 month scan this week. Her bones remain clean, but unfortunately spots on her liver that were previously thought not to be a concern have grown significantly and are now diagnosed as cancerous. She has now stopped the Arimidex treatment and began trying Tamoxifen today.
She has little girls ages 7 & 10 and a wonderful husband, and she is absolutely not giving up! So while she's received excellent treatment from Dr. Helsten, she’s aggressively seeking out second, third, fourth, and hopefully fifth opinions at UCLA, Stanford, MD Anderson, City of Hope, and USC Keck. While Southern California is certainly preferred, Carolyn will travel to where ever she will the best treatment and most hope. Carolyn’s support group of friends and neighbors in the North Country San Diego area has been incredibly amazing over the last year, and from the comments on Facebook and Carolyn’s CaringBridge page (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/carolynkartzke), it’s clear that they’re in it for the long haul.
Everyone keeps asking what they can do to help Carolyn? We may have an answer. On a suggestion from one of her friends (thanks Courtney) we are launching this GoFundMe page. Work is a constant challenge for both Carolyn and Paul with all everything they’re dealing with, and with doctor’s appointments and many treatment sessions to fight this terrible cancer, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. In order to get the best treatment in the world, sometimes last minute travel is required. For example, Carolyn just got an appointment with Dr. George Sledge at Stanford for next week, but their last minute plane tickets are costing them almost $1000. So while we will not let money be a roadblock between Carolyn and the absolute best medical care available, it is an obstacle. We are hoping that this campaign and the power of social media can help her get around that obstacle. Any amount you would like to share will be greatly appreciated!
Thank you VERY much, and please share this with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
She had her 3 month scan this week. Her bones remain clean, but unfortunately spots on her liver that were previously thought not to be a concern have grown significantly and are now diagnosed as cancerous. She has now stopped the Arimidex treatment and began trying Tamoxifen today.
She has little girls ages 7 & 10 and a wonderful husband, and she is absolutely not giving up! So while she's received excellent treatment from Dr. Helsten, she’s aggressively seeking out second, third, fourth, and hopefully fifth opinions at UCLA, Stanford, MD Anderson, City of Hope, and USC Keck. While Southern California is certainly preferred, Carolyn will travel to where ever she will the best treatment and most hope. Carolyn’s support group of friends and neighbors in the North Country San Diego area has been incredibly amazing over the last year, and from the comments on Facebook and Carolyn’s CaringBridge page (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/carolynkartzke), it’s clear that they’re in it for the long haul.
Everyone keeps asking what they can do to help Carolyn? We may have an answer. On a suggestion from one of her friends (thanks Courtney) we are launching this GoFundMe page. Work is a constant challenge for both Carolyn and Paul with all everything they’re dealing with, and with doctor’s appointments and many treatment sessions to fight this terrible cancer, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. In order to get the best treatment in the world, sometimes last minute travel is required. For example, Carolyn just got an appointment with Dr. George Sledge at Stanford for next week, but their last minute plane tickets are costing them almost $1000. So while we will not let money be a roadblock between Carolyn and the absolute best medical care available, it is an obstacle. We are hoping that this campaign and the power of social media can help her get around that obstacle. Any amount you would like to share will be greatly appreciated!
Thank you VERY much, and please share this with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
Organizzatore
Ron LaPierre
Organizzatore
La Verne, CA
