FOR THE LOVE OF CHRISTY….

This is the story of our sister Christy Dennis Gilday’s battle with cancer and why we need your help. Christy was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and has exhausted her treatment options in our home state of Tennessee. She is currently undergoing experimental treatment in Houston, Texas, at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and we are fundraising to help with her housing and travel expenses.

When Christy had her mammogram done, they found a small lump in her right breast. At the time, the radiologist did not think it was anything to be concerned about, so nothing was done about it. Soon, Christy could feel the lump by touch and realized she needed to do something about it. When she got in to see the doctor, the lump had become large enough that she could see it on the surface of the skin, and the skin had even started to change color. She was diagnosed with Stage III triple-negative breast cancer. It’s very fast-growing, very aggressive and very hard to treat.

Christy started chemo, and here came the hair loss, the nausea, the skin problems, the nail problems, the fatigue, the chills, the intestinal problems, the pains, the insomnia, and all the other issues that come with this treatment.

The next step was the mastectomy, followed by radiation. Now it was time just to wait to see how it went while she healed. Then came the first new nodule at the incision site. Then the next and the next and the next. The oncologist did not think it was the cancer but maybe from the radiation. The radiologist did not think it was from the radiation but maybe from the cancer. No one was sure what it was.

At this point, it was time to head to a bigger hospital for more help. Once Christy got there, they ruled out more radiation, and the treatment plan became chemo and immunotherapy. Then in stepped the insurance company. They said a big N-O to the immunotherapy. Too new. Not proven yet. Too expensive. NOT APPROVED. DENIED.

So a new plan was made to start the rounds of a new chemo med and see how she responded to it. At first, things seemed to be going well. Christy’s newly regrown little curls were gone. The infusions were harder and more debilitating. The side effects were worse. As awful as it was, the hope was that it was really getting in there and killing off the cancer cells.

After a few rounds of the new chemo med, the nodules were not getting better. Christy’s chest started to swell, sores came up, and they started to ooze and weep. It became inflamed, and Christy began to have more and more pain. She started having a harder time breathing. Christy was not responding to this new treatment. The oncologist was able to get Christy into a clinical trial. It involved another chemo med, but along with it, she was finally going to get the immunotherapy drug that her insurance company had denied. We hoped and prayed and waited.

By this time, the wounds on Christy’s chest were excruciating. It felt like acid had been poured on her skin. The pain and swelling went all the way up to her shoulder, around to her back, below her rib cage. The nodules had seemed to coalesce into one large mass on her chest. It was harder and harder for her to breathe. Christy was in so much pain that she could not get out of bed some days. The first round of the new chemo and immunotherapy was the hardest, most debilitating treatment she had had so far.

After the second round, Christy’s husband, Mark, stepped in. Christy’s hair was starting to grow back in. Right away, he felt that this new treatment was not working or else Christy’s hair would have already fallen out. The mass on her chest was getting bigger. The pain was getting worse. Christy thought she was starting to develop more nodules closer to her other breast. Something else needed to be done.

Christy was able to get an appointment at MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas. We had high hopes that they would tell us they knew just the thing that was going to fix her right up. We were not that lucky. The only option that Christy has at this point is experimental treatments, so now Christy is starting a Phase I trial of a new treatment where the immunotherapy drugs are injected directly into the tumor.

Christy has to stay in Texas during her treatments, which means housing costs, food costs, transportation costs, etc., for the entire time that she is there. This is where we have to ask you all for help and support. Our family will give Christy and her family all the assistance and support that we can, but it may not be enough. We are asking for donations to help cover the expenses of Christy’s time being treated at MD Anderson. You cannot imagine how she has fought this. If there is anything that they can do for her at MD Anderson, she needs to stay there as long as possible.

These donations will go straight to Christy's family to help cover the cost of housing, traveling back and forth to Texas, food, and everything needed while she is being treated there. We really hope that you can find it in your heart to help support this wonderful woman and her family. We desperately need them to be able to keep fighting. Anything helps and is so very much appreciated. We pray every day for miracles to happen for Christy and hope that you can be one of those miracles.