Help Andrea Fight Stage 4 Lymphoma!
Donation protected
Friends and Family,
Our adored aunt, Andrea LaBarge, has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. We are still in shock and overwhelmed with this news. We are rallying together as a family to offer our support. As you may know, Andrea lives across the country from her family, but has a strong network of friends in Arizona.
Andrea is only 53-years-old and has spent her entire life giving more to others than herself. Her generous, warm, welcoming soul has touched hearts and made an impact on everyone she meets. While we were growing up, we lovingly gave her the nickname of Andy Claus because of her giving spirit and generosity at Christmas and throughout the year.
This Christmas Eve Andrea began feeling unwell. She stopped eating and started becoming very weak. On Tuesday, January 5th she was developing jaundice and after some urging from friends she went to the ER. At the hospital, a CT scan found a mass in her abdomen that was blocking her bile duct. Over the course of the next week, she had three procedures in order to place a biliary stent and take two biopsies of the mass.
On Sunday, January 10th we got the devastating news that she has diffuse large b-cell lymphoma. At this point her oncologist classified it as stage 2 lymphoma pending the results of an onslaught of additional testing including a PET scan and bone marrow biopsy.
On Saturday, January 16th we found out that the cancer has spread to her bone marrow, which means it’s now considered stage 4 lymphoma. We are still waiting to find out exactly what her treatment plan will be, but we do know that chemotherapy will be required.
We hope she will be able to start treatment on Saturday, January 23rd but she is currently still in the hospital. Her enzyme levels have been unstable and they are now trying to stabilize her potassium levels. She has been having difficulty eating since she started feeling sick a few weeks ago and is still very weak from the minimal calories. We are told that the biliary stent should help improve this in time, as it continues to drain the toxins that have built up in her system.
Andrea has been in the hospital for nearly two weeks now and has been unable to work since this ordeal began. She is an independent contractor so she has not had any money coming in to pay her bills for three weeks. At this time, we are unsure if she’ll be able to work while undergoing chemotherapy.
So, now she needs OUR help.
Her immediate need is for funds to cover the costs of her living expenses so she will not have the added burden while fighting this battle. We also know that chemotherapy will compromise her immune system, putting her at greater risk for contracting coronavirus. The $18,500 we are asking for should be enough money to cover 6 months of her bills, groceries and transportation costs during her treatment.
For her medical costs, Andrea has applied for financial aid through the hospital. We are still waiting on approval but we hope this aid will cover all hospital costs. Additionally, Andrea does not have medical insurance but has applied for Medicaid. We are still waiting to find out what her out-of-pocket costs will be for insurance premiums, deductibles, co-pays and prescriptions. We will update with more information as soon as we know more.
We really appreciate any donation you are able to give, no amount is too small. As I said already, Andrea has the kindest soul and is the most giving person I have ever known. She never hesitates to help anyone in need. As much as she is willing to help others, she would never ask for anything in return. In fact, it took some time to convince her to accept help in this battle with lymphoma she now faces. If you know Andrea, you know this was not easy for her!
Thank you so much for reading Andrea’s story!
Our adored aunt, Andrea LaBarge, has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. We are still in shock and overwhelmed with this news. We are rallying together as a family to offer our support. As you may know, Andrea lives across the country from her family, but has a strong network of friends in Arizona.
Andrea is only 53-years-old and has spent her entire life giving more to others than herself. Her generous, warm, welcoming soul has touched hearts and made an impact on everyone she meets. While we were growing up, we lovingly gave her the nickname of Andy Claus because of her giving spirit and generosity at Christmas and throughout the year.
This Christmas Eve Andrea began feeling unwell. She stopped eating and started becoming very weak. On Tuesday, January 5th she was developing jaundice and after some urging from friends she went to the ER. At the hospital, a CT scan found a mass in her abdomen that was blocking her bile duct. Over the course of the next week, she had three procedures in order to place a biliary stent and take two biopsies of the mass.
On Sunday, January 10th we got the devastating news that she has diffuse large b-cell lymphoma. At this point her oncologist classified it as stage 2 lymphoma pending the results of an onslaught of additional testing including a PET scan and bone marrow biopsy.
On Saturday, January 16th we found out that the cancer has spread to her bone marrow, which means it’s now considered stage 4 lymphoma. We are still waiting to find out exactly what her treatment plan will be, but we do know that chemotherapy will be required.
We hope she will be able to start treatment on Saturday, January 23rd but she is currently still in the hospital. Her enzyme levels have been unstable and they are now trying to stabilize her potassium levels. She has been having difficulty eating since she started feeling sick a few weeks ago and is still very weak from the minimal calories. We are told that the biliary stent should help improve this in time, as it continues to drain the toxins that have built up in her system.
Andrea has been in the hospital for nearly two weeks now and has been unable to work since this ordeal began. She is an independent contractor so she has not had any money coming in to pay her bills for three weeks. At this time, we are unsure if she’ll be able to work while undergoing chemotherapy.
So, now she needs OUR help.
Her immediate need is for funds to cover the costs of her living expenses so she will not have the added burden while fighting this battle. We also know that chemotherapy will compromise her immune system, putting her at greater risk for contracting coronavirus. The $18,500 we are asking for should be enough money to cover 6 months of her bills, groceries and transportation costs during her treatment.
For her medical costs, Andrea has applied for financial aid through the hospital. We are still waiting on approval but we hope this aid will cover all hospital costs. Additionally, Andrea does not have medical insurance but has applied for Medicaid. We are still waiting to find out what her out-of-pocket costs will be for insurance premiums, deductibles, co-pays and prescriptions. We will update with more information as soon as we know more.
We really appreciate any donation you are able to give, no amount is too small. As I said already, Andrea has the kindest soul and is the most giving person I have ever known. She never hesitates to help anyone in need. As much as she is willing to help others, she would never ask for anything in return. In fact, it took some time to convince her to accept help in this battle with lymphoma she now faces. If you know Andrea, you know this was not easy for her!
Thank you so much for reading Andrea’s story!
Fundraising team: Andrea's Nieces (4)
Nicole Beaupre
Organizer
San Tan Valley, AZ
Heidi Colburn
Team member
Katie Gourley
Team member
Rikki Beaupre Jose
Team member
