- K
- J
My name is Jenna Fasanella, I am 19 years old and have two younger brothers, Kyle, age 16 and Matthew, age 14. We all live at home with our parents, Matt and JoAnn Fasanella. Our family is very close and we love spending time together, even though sometimes we can get on each other’s nerves, at the end of the day we have so much fun with each other and have so much love for one another. Our parents work hard to try and give us the best experiences in life. Growing up I have realized how thankful I am to have such amazing parents who taught me strong family values and great life lessons. There are no words or actions that can thank my parents enough for the way they have raised my brothers and me.
Our lives were changed forever on September 5, 2014, when my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 Metastatic Neuroendocrine Carcinoma (NET Cancer). Before being diagnosed, she started having trouble swallowing solid foods, including her all-time favorite peanut butter sandwiches. A visit to the doctor led her to see a gastroenterologist, who did an endoscopy on her esophagus. They discovered a tumor and did a biopsy on it, which came back positive for NET cancer. A PET/CT scan was done on my mother which showed the cancer was also in surrounding lymph nodes, three spots on her liver, and a suspect spot on the lungs. Hearing that my mother had cancer made my heart drop and I became filled with fear and worry of what was to come. You never think something so horrible can happen to someone so good. It does not feel real, it feels like I am living in a nightmare and waiting to wake up one day to my mother healthy and herself again. It breaks my heart watching my mother go through this pain and suffering, especially her not being able to eat for so many months and seeing how skinny she became. It has been extremely hard for my whole family and me to see.
After my mother had gone through 5 rounds of chemotherapy and 15 treatments of radiation, another scan in February showed some improvements of the liver and lungs, but the tumor and the lymph nodes were still active. She was also having monthly injections to try to stop the growth of the tumor. Things were okay for a while and my mother was staying strong and going to work. But in April she was beginning to feel worse and worse, still could not eat, and it became more of a challenge for her to go to work. The gastroenterologist placed a stent through the area of the tumor and into the opening of her stomach so that she would be able to start eating. They also had her on IV nutrition to help her gain strength back. Even with the stent she was still having trouble eating and would get sick up to five times every day, causing her to feel weak and depressed. Another PET/CT scan done that same week showed the cancer becoming more aggressive with newly formed cysts. In the last week of April she started the first of three rounds of a stronger chemotherapy, which wiped her out even more. On May 2nd she had a fever and had to be taken to the hospital until her blood counts increased. She spent Mother’s Day in the hospital and it was heart breaking that we could not be out enjoying the beautiful day with her. As of right now she is still in the hospital.
Going through a traumatic change like this is not easy for my family. My mother was always the “anchor of our ship”, or the “CEO” of the house. She is very strong, compassionate, and selfless. She would do anything for anyone without expecting anything in return. My mother did all the hard work at home while our dad commuted to work in New York City every week-day since before I was born. I feel my father is having a very hard time with this because he has to learn all the things my mother handled like paying bills, cooking dinner, and getting my brothers ready for school. He has been working from home a lot, especially since my mother has not been feeling well. Under his strength you can see the pain he is feeling and it hurts my heart to see him like that. My brothers and I step up to do whatever we can to help him and take some of the pressure off of him. I do know one thing my brothers and I cannot help him with is the overwhelming financial strain.
I am creating this gofundme to help with my mother’s medical insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses, in addition to her lost income since she is unable to work. Medical bills have become taxing on one income, and the day-to-day costs of supporting a family of 5 cannot be ignored. We appreciate whatever support is offered, whether through prayers and encouragement or financially through this fund. Feel free to share this page with others.
Thank you so much.
About Neuroendocrine Carcinoma (NET Cancer):
- NET Cancer is a rare cancer with about 8,000 new cases in the U.S. per year.
- Tumors in the esophagus are very rare, with only a handful of reported cases.
- NET cancer is difficult to diagnose, with vague symptoms that may mask as other diseases. Because of this it can take 3-7 years to diagnose. Most times the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body so it is diagnosed in an advanced stage.
- In its advanced stages there is no cure for NET Cancer, but once under control it can be managed for a number of years.
* My father will be posting updates to this page so please check back often. *
* We can also be contacted at the following email address: [email redacted]
Here are some links to websites that will help in understanding types of cancer and their treatments:
www.netcancerday.org
www.cancer.net
www.chemocare.com
Our lives were changed forever on September 5, 2014, when my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 Metastatic Neuroendocrine Carcinoma (NET Cancer). Before being diagnosed, she started having trouble swallowing solid foods, including her all-time favorite peanut butter sandwiches. A visit to the doctor led her to see a gastroenterologist, who did an endoscopy on her esophagus. They discovered a tumor and did a biopsy on it, which came back positive for NET cancer. A PET/CT scan was done on my mother which showed the cancer was also in surrounding lymph nodes, three spots on her liver, and a suspect spot on the lungs. Hearing that my mother had cancer made my heart drop and I became filled with fear and worry of what was to come. You never think something so horrible can happen to someone so good. It does not feel real, it feels like I am living in a nightmare and waiting to wake up one day to my mother healthy and herself again. It breaks my heart watching my mother go through this pain and suffering, especially her not being able to eat for so many months and seeing how skinny she became. It has been extremely hard for my whole family and me to see.
After my mother had gone through 5 rounds of chemotherapy and 15 treatments of radiation, another scan in February showed some improvements of the liver and lungs, but the tumor and the lymph nodes were still active. She was also having monthly injections to try to stop the growth of the tumor. Things were okay for a while and my mother was staying strong and going to work. But in April she was beginning to feel worse and worse, still could not eat, and it became more of a challenge for her to go to work. The gastroenterologist placed a stent through the area of the tumor and into the opening of her stomach so that she would be able to start eating. They also had her on IV nutrition to help her gain strength back. Even with the stent she was still having trouble eating and would get sick up to five times every day, causing her to feel weak and depressed. Another PET/CT scan done that same week showed the cancer becoming more aggressive with newly formed cysts. In the last week of April she started the first of three rounds of a stronger chemotherapy, which wiped her out even more. On May 2nd she had a fever and had to be taken to the hospital until her blood counts increased. She spent Mother’s Day in the hospital and it was heart breaking that we could not be out enjoying the beautiful day with her. As of right now she is still in the hospital.
Going through a traumatic change like this is not easy for my family. My mother was always the “anchor of our ship”, or the “CEO” of the house. She is very strong, compassionate, and selfless. She would do anything for anyone without expecting anything in return. My mother did all the hard work at home while our dad commuted to work in New York City every week-day since before I was born. I feel my father is having a very hard time with this because he has to learn all the things my mother handled like paying bills, cooking dinner, and getting my brothers ready for school. He has been working from home a lot, especially since my mother has not been feeling well. Under his strength you can see the pain he is feeling and it hurts my heart to see him like that. My brothers and I step up to do whatever we can to help him and take some of the pressure off of him. I do know one thing my brothers and I cannot help him with is the overwhelming financial strain.
I am creating this gofundme to help with my mother’s medical insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses, in addition to her lost income since she is unable to work. Medical bills have become taxing on one income, and the day-to-day costs of supporting a family of 5 cannot be ignored. We appreciate whatever support is offered, whether through prayers and encouragement or financially through this fund. Feel free to share this page with others.
Thank you so much.
About Neuroendocrine Carcinoma (NET Cancer):
- NET Cancer is a rare cancer with about 8,000 new cases in the U.S. per year.
- Tumors in the esophagus are very rare, with only a handful of reported cases.
- NET cancer is difficult to diagnose, with vague symptoms that may mask as other diseases. Because of this it can take 3-7 years to diagnose. Most times the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body so it is diagnosed in an advanced stage.
- In its advanced stages there is no cure for NET Cancer, but once under control it can be managed for a number of years.
* My father will be posting updates to this page so please check back often. *
* We can also be contacted at the following email address: [email redacted]
Here are some links to websites that will help in understanding types of cancer and their treatments:
www.netcancerday.org
www.cancer.net
www.chemocare.com
Organizer and beneficiary
Matthew Fasanella
Beneficiary