My name is Errin Thomas. I am raising funds to help my friend Ninette Ogden cover medical expenses and lost income from her recent lung cancer diagnosis. I have known Ninette for 10 years, beginning as co-workers and becoming friends during a trip to an EMS conference in Baltimore. The things that I admire most about Ninette are that she works, plays, and loves hard. She is a paramedic, hairdresser, wife, mother, and adventurer. She is the most unlikely person to ask for help because she is the helper, but she will need all of our help to get her through this next adventure of kicking cancer's ass!

Nettie's Story:

She had not been feeling good since Memorial Day, but thought it was just a bug as she began feeling better; however, she then developed a cough that was different. As a healthcare provider, she was reluctant to admit that anything was wrong and continued pushing herself to continue as though nothing was wrong until her chest and shoulder blade started to have some pressure. Even then, she was expecting a diagnosis of pneumonia or bronchitis...something simple and curable with a light course of antibiotics and an inhaler. She convinced herself and the urgent care doctor of this as they decided they did not need a chest x-ray as she was displaying the same signs and symptoms of pneumonia that she had the prior year. Nettie completed the recommended treatment for walking pneumonia, but she was not feeling better.

Ninette was meeting with her primary a couple of days before her scheduled family vacation with her husband Chris and her two sons Logan and Tanner. She explained what was happening and was sent for a chest x-ray. From there, her life began to change in a whirlwind. Just two hours after her x-ray, she was contacted to proceed immediately for a STAT CT scan. This time, the phone call came within an hour. Ninette was advised to cancel her vacation and to instead meet with pulmonology. A tumor was found on her lung.

Diagnosed July 24th, 2025, with stage 3b lung cancer at 46 years old. In a week, she went from living life to a complete dead stop and her world falling apart. Lab work, biopsies, breathing tests, more tests, and more tests. Everything was being rushed because the tumor they found was encroaching her superior vena cava, which controls blood flow to and from the heart and brain. This first week was so emotional for her entire family, especially her sons Logan and Tanner. Ninette, having worked for years as a paramedic knowing full well that the worst can and does happen, could only think about that worst outcome. Thankfully, Chris, Logan, Tanner and her medical team have convinced her to refuse that outcome!

So, after going through the Dr. Google rabbit hole of fear, uncertainty, and sadness...Ninette has resolved for her husband, her children, her family, and her friends that she is not going to give up. Survival is the only option. There is so much hope and with her team of doctors, this is very treatable...even curable. Unfortunately, treatments and cures carry significant financial burdens. So, I am asking that if you have ever benefited from the care that Ninette has provided as a paramedic, received an amazing haircut from her, or benefited from the fierceness of her love and friendship to please donate to help her through her treatments. Her treatment plan includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and surgery. This is not going to be a fast process, and not all costs of recovery are going to be covered by insurance and my friend will have many missed days of work. Every little bit helps!

Ninette's outlook: "I am gonna fight and I will fight because I will survive."

#Ninette'sCoven #WitchesHeal