Give to a Giver: Candice Hughes

Cancer isn't a death sentence, unless you run out of money - Please help save our friend's life.

Candice Jones Hughes needs help now to continue her Stage 4 breast cancer treatment originally misdiagnosed as degenerative disc disease.   She actually had a crushed vertebrae from the cancer.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your donations, both online and offline in the form of financial help, rides to therapy and appointments, groceries and meals, dog-sitting, information-finding, sharing and encouragement. So many people are helping! Candice has been deeply touched by the kindnesses she has received and is grateful for everything. 

My wife Michele and I met Candice over 20 years ago when we were all volunteering for our church and made a lifelong connection.  This is our opportunity to give back to someone who has given so much to so many people over the years.

It has been hard to post updates because of the roller coaster ride that Candice has endured: at the high end the tumor markers were vastly improved - all markers were within the "normal" range and at the low end there has been severe pain and disappointing markers. 

Where we are at right now: Candice’s initial treatment in Phoenix, combining targeted chemotherapy using IPT (Insulin potentiation therapy), ozone therapy to create an unfavorable environment for cancer and supplements to build up the immune system, was very successful. If she had been able to continue with the suggested level of supportive follow-up treatments, which she was getting in Santa Rosa, we probably wouldn’t be writing to you now.  She has used all her money (from savings, from working, and from donations received to date through GoFundMe) on the follow up treatments but it hasn’t been enough to pay for the level needed to sustain remission.  The tumor markers have gone up.  It’s unfortunate but it is what it is.

. . . – – – . . . SOS! Right now Candice desperately needs an aggressive restart. A clinic in Carson City, Nevada offers a 3-week treatment protocol similar to the one she received in Phoenix, which worked so well.  It means she would stay in Carson City and go to the clinic every day. 

Here is what Candice needs right now:

$9,000 for the 3-week treatment in Carson City

$680 estimated cost for room for 3 weeks (12 nights) in Carson City

$480 estimated cost for food

$200 (6 round trips for drop off and pickup) Estimated gas money to and from Carson City

Up to $20/day ($320) for transportation if needed while there (if she’s too ill to drive herself to treatments)

$152/month for Pure Encapsulations Curcumin 500 supplement (ongoing)

$100/month for additional supplements (ongoing)

$100 for oxygen tank regulator for at-home ozone treatments

$100/month  for oxygen (ongoing)

Please give what you can to this special grandma who still has so much love to share with her granddaughter, as well as her friends and family. She is trying hard to do what she can to earn her own way, but it’s an uphill battle. She worked during the election season with the county elections office and hopes to become a census worker in the future, but is currently unable to work due to severe pain (she currently depends on friends to prepare meals, shop for groceries, etc.)  She desperately needs to make this treatment a reality.  She plans to return to the workplace as soon as she can and pay for the monthly expenses for supplements and supportive treatments on her own.

We all know the power of social media to spread the word, so please share this website with as many folks as possible. We realize we are asking a lot, but if we can all reach out to enough people who in turn reach out to their circle of friends and on and on, Candice will be able to pay for her critical, life-saving treatment. Remember… “It takes a village” to care for one another.

And just so you know what kind of awesome person you are donating to…

We called our initial post about Candice “Give to a Giver.” She is still in training to volunteer for The Center for Violence Free Relationships and hopes to be feeling well enough at the end of her 3-week treatment to continue this training. Candice has spent most of her adult life volunteering (as well as working full-time). In addition to serving as a volunteer on the Goleta Valley Credit Union Loan Review Committee for 2 years and helping teach Red Cross First Aid classes, she has spent 26 of the last 37 years volunteering with three organizations:

Mountainside Spiritual Center (formerly the Center for Creative Living)—Candice was a Board member for 6 years, co-taught a consensus workshop to the congregation, and recruited vendors for the church’s health expo.

Cedar Springs Waldorf School—Candice served on the Scholarship Committee for 9 years and was a Board member 6 years.

Werner Erhard companies (now Landmark Education)—Candice volunteered for 4 years, helping run the volunteer satellite office in Santa Barbara. She also spent 4 years as a paid staff member for two of Erhard's companies (Hermenet, Inc. and Transformational Technologies, Inc.)

So you can see why we say Give to a Giver.

$50 and $100 donations are a big boost but the $5, $10 and $20 gifts add up and it all helps.  Please spread the word and give what you can.