My dear friend Cheyenne is in need of financial support for her upcoming surgery to remove endometriosis from various parts of her body. She has an extremely rare form of endometriosis that has grown inside her lungs. She also has endometriosis in her abdomen, diaphragm, and pelvic area, and will have her appendix removed as well. She recently had to abruptly move from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Portland, Oregon in order to receive the medical care she needs. On January 27th, she will be undergoing surgery, which will be extensive and complicated - please read in more detail, below.

For those of you who know Chey, you know that she is kind, caring, goofy, highly emotionally intelligent, strong, and an amazing caretaker of her friends, her pets, and her community. She is a gifted somatic therapist and is beloved by her clients. The more we can support her, the faster she can heal and get back to work, which is a huge part of her passion and purpose.

This past fall, Chey had to suddenly close her life out in Santa Fe, NM, to move to Portland, OR in order to get the medical care she has been seeking for years. She let go of her home here as well as her office/in-person private practice. Just before packing up her life in Santa Fe, her dear dog Oliver passed away, and now her sweet cat Althea has been in-and-out of the vet, very sick with an unknown diagnosis (possible cancer). She has been under tremendous stress and pressure while having to worry about her finances, her health, leaving her community and clients, all while living with excruciating and debilitating pain. On top of all of this, Cheyenne is also helping to caretake her father, who has dementia. He lives near Portland, and she is a major part of his support system now that she lives there. Needless to say, she has more on her plate than one person should possibly have to deal with. The last thing she needs is to worry about her finances. On top of the medical costs, she will need to take two to three months off work in order to properly recover, and the total recovery will take eight months to a year. Chey is self-employed, so she is unable to be on FMLA or have any income during her time off. Let’s support Chey on her healing journey so that she can recover, get back to work, and live with less pain and worry and more functionality and joy!

Cheyenne is so very thankful for the support and love! Remember that every little bit helps. If many people donate even the cost of a latte, it will add up and greatly support her. Deepest thanks and appreciation from me as well.

Explanation, history, and breakdown of medical treatments and costs:

Cheyenne was diagnosed with thoracic endometriosis inside her right lung two years ago when she started coughing up blood and has spent the past two years sick, working limited hours, and experiencing chronic debilitating pain with many trips to the ER - all while fighting insurance to cover an out-of-state surgery (there are no endometriosis or thoracic surgeons in New Mexico that are qualified to take on her case due to how rare it is). She had already been living with endometriosis for years and had a surgery in February 2023 that used ablation to remove her pelvic lesions. Ablation is known for not fully removing the endometriosis, and within a few months, she was diagnosed with thoracic endometriosis. The lesions in her lungs create a high risk for lung collapse and further growths that can be life-threatening if untreated. It is suspected that she has already had several partial lung collapses that have self-healed, based on her symptoms.

While thoracic endometriosis involving the lungs is less rare than most people would assume - the growths are usually on the outside of the lungs, yet Chey has the growths on the inside of her lungs. This is extremely rare and makes the surgery much more complex and risky.

Her NM pulmonologist repeatedly referred her out to multiple surgeons in other states, but her insurance refused coverage and created extreme barriers that left her in the position to have to move in order to obtain health insurance where the specialists are based. During this two year period, the endometriosis spread and is now also in her left lung in addition to her right lung.  

This September, she met with a thoracic endometriosis specialist in Portland, OR, who was able to take on her case. The only way she could get the surgery partially covered by insurance was to move to Portland, OR. She made a quick move to establish residency there in October 2025 and is now scheduled to have surgery on January 27th, 2026. 

Dr. Mohling will perform the surgery with Dr. Duy Nguyen, a thoracic surgeon. The surgery entails removing a segment of her right lung. She is unable to have the growths removed from her left lung at this time because it is too risky to do both sides. She will also have lesions removed from her abdomen, diaphragm, and pelvic area, along with having her appendix removed - the surgery will also be exploratory, as the surgeons need to see what’s going on in real time to be able to determine where all of the growths are.

Financial Breakdown

$7,750 - Private surgical fee (Dr. Mohling)

$8,150 - Insurance out-of-pocket maximum

$2,000 - pre-op appointments

$20,000 - Living expenses, relocation, and recovery expenses

$12,100 - Althea’s emergency veterinary expenses

Total: $50,000

Why there is an out-of-pocket Cost

 

Dr. Mohling is a thoracic endometriosis specialist. Endometriosis specialists are not able to take insurance because they use a method called excision to remove the lesions completely. Gynocologists and endometriosis surgeons covered by insurance have to use the method of ablation (burning off the lesions) due to that being what insurance companies cover. Ablation creates scar tissue and allows the endometriosis tissue to regrow (hence why Cheyenne’s endo came back and spread). This is a huge reason so many women who live with this disease get multiple surgeries with little improvement.

While obtaining insurance where Dr. Mohling is based made it possible for insurance to cover the thoracic surgeon and the hospital stay, Dr. Mohling’s surgery fee is out of pocket. The $8,150 is her insurance out-of-pocket maximum for the year, which allows insurance to cover the rest of the expense.

NW Endometriosis: https://www.nwendometriosis.com/

Dr. Duy Nguyen (Thoracic Surgery): https://www.legacyhealth.org/providers/duy-nguyen

Hospital - Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center, Portland, OR