Support Shelby's Medical Journey

That term 'family by choice' describes some wonderful people that come into our lives. Then there are those that just become family because of the bond that is just there. That is me and my New Orleans Momma, Shelby Morris. And she is stubborn. When I brought up the idea of this months ago, she opted to sell some belongings to cover the bills. She has gone as far as she can with no financial assistance.

If you know her, you understand that her health took a quick and unexpected turn almost 2 years ago. Some things are better, but the crazy just keeps coming. For those that don't know the whole thing, read the history below.

The blood tests have shown no lasting improvement. A few times it looked positive at first, but in the end, the results aren't improved. A bone marrow biopsy came into the conversation a while back, and now it's here. Shelby is having that done on March 7th. Her new insurance is a blessing, but co-pays are adding up fast.

You may remember when this all first started, someone stole several hundred while at her home helping with tasks such as assembling her new walker. She asked for help, and those that know her know this is something she has a hard time with. Her friends came through, and she accepted the amount he had taken and no more. A few weeks later, she repaid it.

What you don't know is Shelby had taken that time to pull money from everywhere she could. Health issues increased, mobility and pain were constant issues, and she was unable to work most of the time. Those resources she had pulled carried her through until April 2024, just before the last brain surgery. And she is now in need of a helping hand.

THE BEGINNING

(It's long, but the entirety of the journey is way longer.)

July 3, 2023. After several weeks of seeing different doctors that couldn't give a definitive diagnosis of why the lymph nodes in her neck were swollen, Shelby was given a CT scan. That day ended with a dual diagnosis: salivary gland cancer, but the scans had also picked up a large brain aneurysm. This is where Shelby's nightmare began. Trips to the oncologist, blood tests, biopsies, over the next 6 months, the diagnosis changed from cancer to no cancer 3 times. So many other problems with Shelby's health were being blamed on the cancer that the oncologist wasn't sure existed. An unexplainable loss of over a third of her weight, swelling of her legs and hands leaving her unable to use her hands or walk without a walker, joint pain that limited mobility even more, the skin peeling from inside her mouth, a rash that was under the skin causing itching and pain, and this is a list that could continue, but you get the idea. The 3rd 'no cancer' came the day before her 60th birthday. They never came to a true diagnosis of what was actually causing all the problems, but at least neurology was finally looking at the 9mm aneurysm that Shelby called Moochie. Of course, this didn't go smoothly either. On day 304 from the original diagnosis, for the 2nd time, the neurologist went to work on Moochie, who was residing by the Circle of Willis in her brain. This time, the aneurysm was coiled, so the ticking time bomb was finally decommissioned. Still no diagnosis for what started the whole lymph node and following crazy issues, and that brings the story to the bone marrow biopsy after nothing else has been a root cause.

We are fundraising to help Shelby cover her medical expenses and co-pays, which are adding up fast.