- J
My name is Eileen, and I am fighting Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma. I fought (and won!) my first battle with melanoma in 2006. It was very early stage, probably Stage Ic, and I just had surgery and was declared cancer free within a couple of months! I was cancer free for eight years until I was diagnosed again in January, 2015. I found an "in-transit metastasis" in my back, and other mets were revealed in my lungs, mesenteric lymph nodes, and bowel. I decided to seek treatment at Johns Hopkins, as advanced melanoma is one of the deadliest cancers, and can be difficult to treat. I sought out a melanoma specialist, and he recommended I start on a clinical trial administering two immunotherapy drugs at the same time for four doses, and then just one of those meds (nivolumab "nivo") every two weeks for two years. Right away some tumors disappeared and the others shrunk!! Since June 2015 my tumors have been stable!! I can live with stable! Aside from a couple of hospital stays, my side effects have been very manageable, and I continue to work full time, usually on my feet. I have now gone 17 rounds of treatment!
The trial I am on has been FDA approved, so the trial will be closing. I will be able to continue on the nivo, but will now be billed. My insurance company is proving to be very difficult to work with, but the staff at Hopkins is going to work them as much as possible. I do have an out-of-pocket maximum of $6,500, of which I am still trying to pay off from 2015 expenses, and will soon have to meet it again for 2016. Considering one dose of nivo costs tens of thousands of dollars, it won't be hard to meet, but will just put me more in debt.
To add salt to the wound, my car has turned into a money pit. It's a 2003 with over 150,000 miles, and has become unreliable. It even broke down on my way to treatment recently, causing me to miss the treatment! As much as I love my car (affectionately named "Sonny" the Sonata!) I really do need a reliable car!
I am starting this fundraiser in hopes to raise some funds to help me with all of these expenses! This would mean the world to me, as it would provide a little ease to the stress of financial burden... Some peace of mind goes a long, long way! I debated even doing this at all, but after being urged by family and friends, I have decided to give this a shot. Every little bit is greatly appreciated! If unable to help financially, prayers are also very much appreciated! Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my fundraiser!
The trial I am on has been FDA approved, so the trial will be closing. I will be able to continue on the nivo, but will now be billed. My insurance company is proving to be very difficult to work with, but the staff at Hopkins is going to work them as much as possible. I do have an out-of-pocket maximum of $6,500, of which I am still trying to pay off from 2015 expenses, and will soon have to meet it again for 2016. Considering one dose of nivo costs tens of thousands of dollars, it won't be hard to meet, but will just put me more in debt.
To add salt to the wound, my car has turned into a money pit. It's a 2003 with over 150,000 miles, and has become unreliable. It even broke down on my way to treatment recently, causing me to miss the treatment! As much as I love my car (affectionately named "Sonny" the Sonata!) I really do need a reliable car!
I am starting this fundraiser in hopes to raise some funds to help me with all of these expenses! This would mean the world to me, as it would provide a little ease to the stress of financial burden... Some peace of mind goes a long, long way! I debated even doing this at all, but after being urged by family and friends, I have decided to give this a shot. Every little bit is greatly appreciated! If unable to help financially, prayers are also very much appreciated! Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my fundraiser!