Help Ann Battle Small Cell Carcinoma

Ann was given some tough news, as she was recently diagnosed with small cell endocrine carcinoma of the colon.  This form of cancer is aggressive and had already progressed to an advanced stage by the time it was discovered.  As a result, she had a section removed from her colon, as well as an ovary, and a section of her liver where the cancer had quickly spread.  She still has several small cancerous lesions on her stomach lining, stomach lymph nodes, and some on her kidney.  While it is indeed an aggressive form of cancer, her oncologists are optimistic of a successful outcome while they employ newer hormone therapy treatments.  

Backing up a bit, Ann was initially dealing with a variety of unspecified digestive problems before Christmas, but was otherwise able to work and carry on with daily life.  Just before the new year, the symptoms increased to a point where she wound up in the ER and ultimately was admitted to the hospital.  It was then the doctors found the tumors and scheduled her for surgery and more conclusive tests.  She is currently recovering well from the surgery and has received her first hormone therapy injection to fight the remaining cancer.  These treatments will continue monthly until the cancer is either fully in remission, or if additional treatments such as chemotherapy are required.

In spite of a positive long term prognosis, Ann still faces a huge uphill battle on several fronts.  Recovery from surgery and the ongoing side effects of the hormone therapy have drastically limited her ability to work and manage the day-to-day responsibilities at home.  Both she and her fiancé, Chris, are suddenly faced with added financial challenges now that they are down to a single income for the foreseeable future.  To make matters worse, she has very minimal insurance coverage which doesn't pay for all of her various medical expenses such as routine tests and cancer treatments. 

While Ann, Chris, and her entire family remain very optimistic about her ultimately defeating this cancer, the diagnosis has put them in a very difficult spot financially.  If you are able, we would be incredibly grateful for any financial support you can provide to help defray the myriad of expenses they accumulate as she embarks on this journey to kicks cancer's ass.  The outlook is good and the path to remission is fairly clear, but she needs some help from her friends, loved ones, and maybe a few kind-hearted strangers to help her get there.

We will continue to post updates and messages from Ann as her treatments progress.  In the meantime, a quick note of humor, a fun memory, or even a few words of encouragement for Ann would be tremendous.

Thank you and God bless!