- T
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Dear Friends and Friends of Friends,
As you probably know, Cherish is my baby sister (26 years young) and one of the most fun-loving, smart, kind & talented people on this planet - but she is also one of the most private people you'll ever meet too…. That is why you most likely don’t know that 2 months ago she underwent major surgery to remove a 7 POUND, 11.8 INCH tumor! (See pix below)
HERE'S THE TIMELINE:
November 2013: Cherish experiences excruciating pain and passes out and ends up in the ER. Tests reveal 3 ovarian cysts that appear to be benign. The doctor tells Cherish that no surgery is needed, but that she should change her diet to slow the growth till the cysts go away on their own.
2013 - July 28, 2020: Unbeknownst to anyone, including Cherish, 2 of the 3 cysts go away, but 1 continues to grow...
The mass grows and grows and Cherish’s stomach begins to feel harder and harder. However, because she is super active & athletic, she assumes it is muscle growth and isn’t alarmed -- until this year, when her stomach starts causing her discomfort and she starts looking as if she were in her first trimester of pregnancy.
(How a tiny body could first of all: Carry the weight of a Full Term BABY, and Two: Still work, perform, travel & play, and Three: Still look tiny...I’ll never understand… Maybe the slow pace of quarantine, allowed her to stop and pay more attention to her body = my theory)
July 28th: Cherish goes to the doctor for a routine physical exam and mentions her stomach pain. Her doctor notices the pressure in her lower abdomen and suspects it is related to fibroids. She is given a referral to an OBGYN to get an ultrasound to confirm.
August 11th: The ultrasound shows a mass on the left side of her stomach, making the right ovary not visible.
September 16th: The OBGYN confirms it is not a fibroid, but an ovarian mass that needs to be surgically removed as soon as possible!
September 30th: The MRI measures the tumor at 9 INCHES, attached to the right ovary.
October 1st: Day of Surgery - Right ovarian cystectomy laparotomy with oophorectomy (removal of ovarian cyst and right ovary).
The mass was almost 3 INCHES larger than expected! Cherish is kept in the hospital for a few days for close monitoring.
October 16: The Pathology Report reveals that the mass was CANCEROUS and she is officially diagnosed with Stage 1 Clinical Mucinous Adenocarcinoma of the right ovary (a rare Ovarian Cancer) But MIRACULOUSLY it did not infect any other organ. Praise God!
*For more information on Mucinous Cancer of the Ovary: Overview and Current Status: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7168201/
December 14th: Cherish starts Radiation Therapy 3-5 TIMES a week
Present: The doctor told Cherish that she was healing well, but warned that her stress could SLOW down her recovery….
The stress the doctor was referring to was not only the enormous stress of dealing with cancer, especially as a young person, but the additional stress that also only a few people know about - and now you - which is that Cherish is DROWNING in bills.
The total cost of just her surgery and hospital stay was $48,000. With her insurance, she had $4000 remaining. Somehow, without being able to work due to the surgery, she managed to pay off $1000 + rent + food + car note & insurance + phone + all other monthly expenses!
But last month, ALL her savings were exhausted.
Being on an indefinite furlough with Disneyland Entertainment and unemployment benefits not covering her expenses, plus having new medical expenses, Cherish made the difficult decision to end her medical sabbatical with her current employer, Bj’s Restaurant - only to deal with more medical issues there, causing more stress, that could slow down her recovery......
In other words..
Her full recovery is in danger of being slowed, as the doctor warned,
because of the stress she has,
not only from being such a patient in her early 20's,
but from the growing amount of DEBT she has,
and the SURGERY she had to have,
and the CANCEROUS GIANT TUMOR she had,
and the HOSPITAL STAY she had,
and the current ONCOLOGY APPOINTMENTS she has,
and the future oncology appointments she may have,
and the current RADIATION TREATMENTS she has,
and the future radiation treatments she may have,
and the INABILITY to pay for it all;
and the JOB she went back to, to pay for it all,
which will sadly not pay for it all,
because it BARELY COVERS her monthly EXPENSES,
because she cannot work full-time,
because she physically cannot endure more
than the PAIN IN INCISION AREA she already has,
and the FATIGUE FROM RADIATION she has
which all causes MORE STRESS -
which puts her in danger of her recovery being slowed, as the doctor warned.
(How Twisted Is That?!)
Cherish is used to taking care of herself. She doesn’t ask for help, and doesn’t tell anyone she is struggling. However, right now, she can’t take care of herself alone. She needs help. And now we know that she is struggling. Therefore, we can help. We can help Cherish regain her strength (physical & emotional) for a FULL recovery!
She carried that Tumor for 7 YEARS, and now it’s like she’s carrying another heavy weight - but this time, she doesn’t have to carry it alone ♡
Let US, help Cherish!
- She needs urgent Prayer, prayer and more prayer.
Prayer for her to be filled with God's peace; for complete healing from cancer and any related issues; and for freedom from all bills.
- Cherish needs urgent financial help.
$7000 for surgical removal of cancerous mass; as well as current and estimated future oncology appointments and radiation treatments.
All funds raised will go directly to Cherish’s medical expenses.
- Additionally, you can help by sharing this urgent need with the people you know...family, groups, church, work colleagues, classmates, neighbors and friends near & far...in person or through social media, email, text, phone and any other forms of communication :)
Thank you so much❣
On behalf of our mother, Sarah, and sister, Lisamarie, I am so grateful for every single person that can help in any way. Everything you can do is a blessing - and we pray a blessing back to you for your generosity
We love you & God Bless you,
Bassalla
A note: We are a Christian family and believe in the power of prayer for all things, including healing. Also, God uses any means to answer prayers, including Western medicine. Therefore, there is no conflict of interest in asking for both prayer for healing and funds to cover medical expenses
As you probably know, Cherish is my baby sister (26 years young) and one of the most fun-loving, smart, kind & talented people on this planet - but she is also one of the most private people you'll ever meet too…. That is why you most likely don’t know that 2 months ago she underwent major surgery to remove a 7 POUND, 11.8 INCH tumor! (See pix below)
HERE'S THE TIMELINE:
November 2013: Cherish experiences excruciating pain and passes out and ends up in the ER. Tests reveal 3 ovarian cysts that appear to be benign. The doctor tells Cherish that no surgery is needed, but that she should change her diet to slow the growth till the cysts go away on their own.
2013 - July 28, 2020: Unbeknownst to anyone, including Cherish, 2 of the 3 cysts go away, but 1 continues to grow...
The mass grows and grows and Cherish’s stomach begins to feel harder and harder. However, because she is super active & athletic, she assumes it is muscle growth and isn’t alarmed -- until this year, when her stomach starts causing her discomfort and she starts looking as if she were in her first trimester of pregnancy.
(How a tiny body could first of all: Carry the weight of a Full Term BABY, and Two: Still work, perform, travel & play, and Three: Still look tiny...I’ll never understand… Maybe the slow pace of quarantine, allowed her to stop and pay more attention to her body = my theory)
July 28th: Cherish goes to the doctor for a routine physical exam and mentions her stomach pain. Her doctor notices the pressure in her lower abdomen and suspects it is related to fibroids. She is given a referral to an OBGYN to get an ultrasound to confirm.
August 11th: The ultrasound shows a mass on the left side of her stomach, making the right ovary not visible.
September 16th: The OBGYN confirms it is not a fibroid, but an ovarian mass that needs to be surgically removed as soon as possible!
September 30th: The MRI measures the tumor at 9 INCHES, attached to the right ovary.
October 1st: Day of Surgery - Right ovarian cystectomy laparotomy with oophorectomy (removal of ovarian cyst and right ovary).
The mass was almost 3 INCHES larger than expected! Cherish is kept in the hospital for a few days for close monitoring.
October 16: The Pathology Report reveals that the mass was CANCEROUS and she is officially diagnosed with Stage 1 Clinical Mucinous Adenocarcinoma of the right ovary (a rare Ovarian Cancer) But MIRACULOUSLY it did not infect any other organ. Praise God!
*For more information on Mucinous Cancer of the Ovary: Overview and Current Status: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7168201/
December 14th: Cherish starts Radiation Therapy 3-5 TIMES a week
Present: The doctor told Cherish that she was healing well, but warned that her stress could SLOW down her recovery….
The stress the doctor was referring to was not only the enormous stress of dealing with cancer, especially as a young person, but the additional stress that also only a few people know about - and now you - which is that Cherish is DROWNING in bills.
The total cost of just her surgery and hospital stay was $48,000. With her insurance, she had $4000 remaining. Somehow, without being able to work due to the surgery, she managed to pay off $1000 + rent + food + car note & insurance + phone + all other monthly expenses!
But last month, ALL her savings were exhausted.
Being on an indefinite furlough with Disneyland Entertainment and unemployment benefits not covering her expenses, plus having new medical expenses, Cherish made the difficult decision to end her medical sabbatical with her current employer, Bj’s Restaurant - only to deal with more medical issues there, causing more stress, that could slow down her recovery......
In other words..
Her full recovery is in danger of being slowed, as the doctor warned,
because of the stress she has,
not only from being such a patient in her early 20's,
but from the growing amount of DEBT she has,
and the SURGERY she had to have,
and the CANCEROUS GIANT TUMOR she had,
and the HOSPITAL STAY she had,
and the current ONCOLOGY APPOINTMENTS she has,
and the future oncology appointments she may have,
and the current RADIATION TREATMENTS she has,
and the future radiation treatments she may have,
and the INABILITY to pay for it all;
and the JOB she went back to, to pay for it all,
which will sadly not pay for it all,
because it BARELY COVERS her monthly EXPENSES,
because she cannot work full-time,
because she physically cannot endure more
than the PAIN IN INCISION AREA she already has,
and the FATIGUE FROM RADIATION she has
which all causes MORE STRESS -
which puts her in danger of her recovery being slowed, as the doctor warned.
(How Twisted Is That?!)
Cherish is used to taking care of herself. She doesn’t ask for help, and doesn’t tell anyone she is struggling. However, right now, she can’t take care of herself alone. She needs help. And now we know that she is struggling. Therefore, we can help. We can help Cherish regain her strength (physical & emotional) for a FULL recovery!
She carried that Tumor for 7 YEARS, and now it’s like she’s carrying another heavy weight - but this time, she doesn’t have to carry it alone ♡
Let US, help Cherish!
- She needs urgent Prayer, prayer and more prayer.
Prayer for her to be filled with God's peace; for complete healing from cancer and any related issues; and for freedom from all bills.
- Cherish needs urgent financial help.
$7000 for surgical removal of cancerous mass; as well as current and estimated future oncology appointments and radiation treatments.
All funds raised will go directly to Cherish’s medical expenses.
- Additionally, you can help by sharing this urgent need with the people you know...family, groups, church, work colleagues, classmates, neighbors and friends near & far...in person or through social media, email, text, phone and any other forms of communication :)
Thank you so much❣
On behalf of our mother, Sarah, and sister, Lisamarie, I am so grateful for every single person that can help in any way. Everything you can do is a blessing - and we pray a blessing back to you for your generosity
We love you & God Bless you,
Bassalla
A note: We are a Christian family and believe in the power of prayer for all things, including healing. Also, God uses any means to answer prayers, including Western medicine. Therefore, there is no conflict of interest in asking for both prayer for healing and funds to cover medical expenses
Organizer and beneficiary
Cherish Mutua
Beneficiary