Hi, I’m fundraising for my mom Debbie Francois who is facing large medical bills due to cancer. We were told it is occult breast cancer, which is uncommon and occurs in about 1% of breast cancer patients, however recently (March 2024) were told it’s inconclusive and they’re still seeking answers. She has a tumor in her leg that they’re treating with radiation. It took 13 weeks to find some answers and start a treatment, which means for a quarter of a year my mom has undergone invasive procedures, ER visits, hospital stays, and continued confusion and worry of what was affecting her body. For the whole story, please scroll to the bottom.

My mom is a medical administrator and has been out of work for two months, as well as mostly lost her ability to use her left leg due to this disease. We do not know when she will be able to return to work. She's also in constant pain and has continued medication changes, in hopes of providing relief. Her current out of pocket medical expenses are around $20,000 and though I do not have treatment costs I can assume there will continue to be high out of pocket requirements and place of service charges which we have already been experiencing. I'm starting this GoFundMe in hopes of helping ease the financial burden as she fights hard against this disease that has consumed so much of her life already.

Who is Debbie: If you don’t know my mom, you probably know someone she has helped who has also helped you in return. She has worked in medicine for nearly 30 years, helping others without concern for her needs, and dedicating her life to others. Originally she wanted to be a teacher but switched to medicine after my dad was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in 1995. He passed in 2008 and she is our whole world. She's worked closely with local medical programs to train students and give back to the community whenever possible. My childhood is remembered with scrubs, helping neighbors, hearing “oh your mom helped my husband/wife with…”, being stopped in Costco by strangers hugging her (to the point I refused to go with her), and growing up thinking of the doctor’s office as just another place since I was there to visit her so often. She works to heal others from the moment her eyes open to when they close, and probably in her dreams too. She’s a grandmother to my two babies (age 4.5 and 1.5) and deserves better than to be stressed over medical expenses especially after taking on the medical fight for others nearly half her life. She places everyone before herself and this disease is ugly and unfair and stealing her ability to be with family and continue to help others which is her passion.

All funds raised will be used for Debbie’s medical expenses. Any funds above our goal that are not needed for Debbie’s medical expenses will be donated to someone else in need. Thank you for donating or sharing this information to help ease a portion of the stress and weight that is on my mom. We hope to have a complete treatment plan soon and constantly pray to find ways to get her relief from the pain, nausea, and lack of sleep. God bless! Please share this in as many places as possible.

Early days at the office. This photo is on display at a local community college because of her involvement supporting students and programs.

Spending time with the grand-babies. She's the best Oma and loves these two to pieces!

November 2023 Our amazing family who is hurting from this awful disease and wishing for treatment to help get mom back to functioning.

How this happened: This began December 3, 2023 when a visit to the ER for left side pain turned into a week-long stay. She was on oxygen for three days, had numerous blood draws, and was medicated for pain, vomiting, nausea, heart failure, high blood pressure, and other concerns. Over the course of the week they did multiple procedures including: spinal bone biopsy, cystoscopy, double ureter stent insert, exploratory laparoscopy, lower leg ultrasound, two chest x rays, pelvic MRI and an echocardiogram of the heart. This stay required $8,700 out of pocket due to her deductible.

She was sent home with ureter stents to improve kidney function and told to return in three weeks for a repeat cat scan and stent removal but there was still no clear diagnosis. During that time she did not eat, couldn’t sleep, and was in continuous discomfort. Unfortunately she is still struggling with appetite, sleep, and pain. However, she is fighting hard to move and eat when possible as we continue working toward help for this disease.

With a new year however, comes a new $8,700 deductible to meet as well as her monthly insurance premium and place of service costs for follow up procedures. In early January she had the second cystoscopy where they had to replace the stents and again had no clear diagnosis. However, they noted her lymph nodes have been swollen since December 3rd when she arrived at the ER and began looking at a lymphoma diagnosis, but that didn't quite fit what was happening. Her physician, stumped and frustrated, turned to technology for help and with the assistance of an AI generated search was able to link all her odd symptoms into possible Erdheim-Chester disease. During this time she continued to be in pain, sleepless, and missing work, without a clear diagnosis.

February 2024 she saw a specialist who ordered a PET scan which was completed Feb 20th, 2024 and showed signs of Erdheim-Chester Disease. We had her admitted that week to the hospital for pain and she is due to come home soon (I'm writing this as of March 3, 2024). While at the hospital she had 3 biopsies, including reopening her bone biopsy from her back, to completely confirm this diagnosis and then be able to discuss treatment options. As of posting this they have not ruled out Erdheim-Chester Disease.

Nine days ago they told us they found malignant cancer cells in her lymph node biopsy. They began testing the tissue and ultimately had to remove two lymph nodes four days ago to continue testing. They were able to determine it showed breast cancer, despite the PET scan and every other test not showing signs of breast cancer. They have told us it is occult breast cancer meaning they cannot find a primary breast tumor. The pathologist said he sees instances of occult cancers about once a year. This is uncommon and we hope to have a treatment plan figured out this week.

I'll continue to update as more information and a treatment plan is established. If you wish to help, please donate to or share this GoFundMe, post positive comments to cheer up my mom, share your success stories with beating cancer, and tell stories of ways she's touched your life. She's here, she's fighting, she's amazing in every possible way and we keep praying to get through this as easily and quickly as possible so she can resume the life she deserves.

March 6, 2024: today is hopefully a big day and she gets to meet with oncology for a treatment plan!! Send my mama some love please!

March 10, 2024: she has done two rounds of radiation and it’s taking its toll. They said that can happen as they attack the tumor that has wrapped itself a pound her nerve, causing excruciating pain. Her doc says they may start chemo this week but are awaiting more tests to help guide them as to what kind of chemo they need. The prognosis is dependent on how her body responds to radiation and chemo. Please keep praying for my mama and sharing her story!