Debi Walsh Stage 4 Lung Cancer
Donation protected
Debi has stage 4 lung cancer. It is in her lymph glands in her chest, neck, adrenal gland and bones. While Debi and her doctors determine what treatment will be best, the doctors suggest she go on disability. Debi has the pressure of trying to continue working as long as possible, despite pain, appointments, and sickness from treatment because she has the sole responsibility to support herself and her son. Disability doesn't pay enough to cover living and medical expenses. Radiation starts tomorrow, and chemo will start immediately after. Eric is home for Christmas break from his freshman year at college. He wants to work full time while he is home to help with expenses but Christmas break should be quality time with his mom.
Please help Debi and Eric. Debi has already fallen behind financially due to days lost at work for medical appointments and procedures and medical co-pays. Any small amount can help lift some of the financial burden, and allow Debi to spend time with her son Eric and daughter Jessica over the holidays while she fights to live as long as she can.
Debi's Story
Debi’s first diagnosis with lung cancer was at the age of 45 when her youngest child was only 3 Years old. She had surgery removing 2/3 of her right lung.
Fast forward 15 years of work, life and her own diligence and insistence of medical scans to stay ahead of any recurrence of cancer.
Unfortunately, last December one of Debi’s scans showed cancer had returned. A few days after Christmas 2016 she was back in for surgery to remove another cancerous section of her lung. Below is her first Facebook post following that surgery.
"December 30, 2016
Friday update
Hard to type- have 2 Ivs in my one arm. Radiology surgeon put in another Chest tube to hopefully inflate the top of lung as it is having an issue. I will get out of Intensive Care today with any luck and go to a real room. Hospital staff is great here and my surgeon stops in about 5 times a day. He will probably take the first tube out today since it moved and is doing nothing and hopefully I will lose the catheter. Lung cancer friends- I forgot how bad this actually sucks! I can barely move and I'm just a mass of pain on my right side from neck to waist. But I'm lucky-keep getting annual CTs- don't stop at 10 years out. My doc says the only way I saved my life was by insisting on getting annual scans."
After being out of work for over 2 months and receiving only 60 percent pay on disability, Debi used the rest of her savings to cover medical bills, copays, prescriptions, rent, food, and necessities. Debi returned to work at the beginning of March and on November 10th she faced another biopsy when a CT came back with an enlarged lymph node. Below is what she shared with family and friends most recently on her Facebook page.
November 30, 2017 at 5:30pm
"Update on my cancer: I wish I could tell everyone privately but that's not possible. Bottom line is I am now Stage 4- with cancer in my lymph in chest, in neck and adrenal gland. Also, my bones are lighting up. Doctor says it's scary how fast this has gone.
So far I have none of the mutations that have targeted treatment which would prolong my life indefinitely and most likely be in the form of a chemo pill. I gave blood today to see if I have the c-met or Ros-1 mutations, those are the last 2 possibilities for targeted therapy. Otherwise I will have straight line chemo which has a 40-50% success rate to slow down the cancer. I'll know in a week what the plan is.
I had a Zometa infusion today which will help strengthen my bones. I've had pain in my left ribs the last 2 weeks and can only sleep on my right side. That same area lights up on the PET so Im going to have radiation there for 10 days just so that I can be comfortable. Without that pain I feel fine- they have all said I'm healthy as a horse (minus the lung cancer in my body lol).
I'm having a brain MRI next week to see if anything is there (ha). Other than that, I think that's it for now.
There is no coming back from this so please don't say that I can beat this etc. It is what it is and I can go on about that but later. I know this completely sucks. Above all, No one wants to bring pain and heartache to their friends and family-people you spend your life trying not to hurt but here we are.
I appreciate all your support and I know you're all out there. "
Jessica, Eric, and Debi
Please help.
Please help Debi and Eric. Debi has already fallen behind financially due to days lost at work for medical appointments and procedures and medical co-pays. Any small amount can help lift some of the financial burden, and allow Debi to spend time with her son Eric and daughter Jessica over the holidays while she fights to live as long as she can.
Debi's Story
Debi’s first diagnosis with lung cancer was at the age of 45 when her youngest child was only 3 Years old. She had surgery removing 2/3 of her right lung.
Fast forward 15 years of work, life and her own diligence and insistence of medical scans to stay ahead of any recurrence of cancer.
Unfortunately, last December one of Debi’s scans showed cancer had returned. A few days after Christmas 2016 she was back in for surgery to remove another cancerous section of her lung. Below is her first Facebook post following that surgery.
"December 30, 2016
Friday update
Hard to type- have 2 Ivs in my one arm. Radiology surgeon put in another Chest tube to hopefully inflate the top of lung as it is having an issue. I will get out of Intensive Care today with any luck and go to a real room. Hospital staff is great here and my surgeon stops in about 5 times a day. He will probably take the first tube out today since it moved and is doing nothing and hopefully I will lose the catheter. Lung cancer friends- I forgot how bad this actually sucks! I can barely move and I'm just a mass of pain on my right side from neck to waist. But I'm lucky-keep getting annual CTs- don't stop at 10 years out. My doc says the only way I saved my life was by insisting on getting annual scans."
After being out of work for over 2 months and receiving only 60 percent pay on disability, Debi used the rest of her savings to cover medical bills, copays, prescriptions, rent, food, and necessities. Debi returned to work at the beginning of March and on November 10th she faced another biopsy when a CT came back with an enlarged lymph node. Below is what she shared with family and friends most recently on her Facebook page.
November 30, 2017 at 5:30pm
"Update on my cancer: I wish I could tell everyone privately but that's not possible. Bottom line is I am now Stage 4- with cancer in my lymph in chest, in neck and adrenal gland. Also, my bones are lighting up. Doctor says it's scary how fast this has gone.
So far I have none of the mutations that have targeted treatment which would prolong my life indefinitely and most likely be in the form of a chemo pill. I gave blood today to see if I have the c-met or Ros-1 mutations, those are the last 2 possibilities for targeted therapy. Otherwise I will have straight line chemo which has a 40-50% success rate to slow down the cancer. I'll know in a week what the plan is.
I had a Zometa infusion today which will help strengthen my bones. I've had pain in my left ribs the last 2 weeks and can only sleep on my right side. That same area lights up on the PET so Im going to have radiation there for 10 days just so that I can be comfortable. Without that pain I feel fine- they have all said I'm healthy as a horse (minus the lung cancer in my body lol).
I'm having a brain MRI next week to see if anything is there (ha). Other than that, I think that's it for now.
There is no coming back from this so please don't say that I can beat this etc. It is what it is and I can go on about that but later. I know this completely sucks. Above all, No one wants to bring pain and heartache to their friends and family-people you spend your life trying not to hurt but here we are.
I appreciate all your support and I know you're all out there. "
Jessica, Eric, and DebiPlease help.
Organizer and beneficiary
Brenda Van Arsdale Rockefeller
Organizer
Lincoln, NE
Debra Walsh
Beneficiary
