Hello, I would like to share with you a story about my identical twin sister, Ami… She is the mother of a beautiful 14-year-old daughter, Karma and wife to a loving husband, Zac.

About a year and a half ago, she developed a lump on her neck (about the size of a golf ball). After seeing several doctors and over 18 months, she finally got in to see a specialist. By this time, her lump had now grown to the size of a baseball.

Her diagnosis? A parathyroid cyst, a very rare kind of fluid-filled sac with only 300 reported cases worldwide since the 1880’s! Luckily, the good doctors said they could completely remove it in a 6-8 hour surgery and one overnight stay in the hospital.

This complex surgery was not without some risks, and when she underwent the level 2a-5b radical neck dissection, some of those risks became a reality. We finally heard from the surgeon 12 hours after she went in, I have never been so terrified in my life than waiting for that call... The mass was far larger than they had anticipated (about 10 times larger than anything on record) and had wrapped itself around several major arteries, nerves, jugular, and trachea… Basically everything it touched was engulfed in this mass. While removing it, she had a transected vertebral artery (which was repaired) and damage to a nerve that controls her left shoulder movement as well as damage to her thoracic duct. With physio, she should regain movement of her shoulder in about a year, and the feeling should come back on the left side of her face, neck, and ear… However, the damage to the thoracic duct caused a severe chyle fluid leak, a rare (only 1-2.5% of neck dissections) but serious life-threatening condition that kept Ami in the hospital for 2 weeks while they battled the leak. Needless to say, her husband Zac would not leave her side the entire time.

This money would help Ami and her family get back on their feet (neither of them have medical leave) so they can pay their bills, the mechanical bed for sleeping sitting up, as well as the (very expensive) Octreotide medications she will need to take 3 times a day. It will be a long recovery at home (she just got released today!) and she is strong, but I really want her to focus on her healing rather worrying how they are going to pay their bills or feed their family.

So that’s Ami’s story… if you think you can help my sister and her family while she recovers, we would be forever grateful for anything you could give. <3