Help DeAnna with cancer expenses

Hi my name is Marilyn and I am raising funds for my friend DeAnna Havens who has lung cancer. (Adenocarcinoma) A type of cancer that develops in the glands that line your organs. Common forms of adenocarcinoma include breast, stomach, prostate, lung, pancreatic and colorectal cancers. She is going to have radiation treatment at the University of Kansas Cancer Center in Overland Park starting December 13. She will have radiation treatments every other day over the course of 10 days and then will have to go back for follow up in 2022. She also has tumors in her breast and kidney which will be addressed after the holidays. She needs funds for travel expenses, hotel expenses, food expenses, medical expenses, and sundries. DeAnna is 64. She has one daughter Jaema Lee and one grandson CJ who is 18. They will be with her during her treatments.

In DeAnna's own words:

I graduated from college the same year my daughter graduated from kindergarten. She cheered me on with gusto and pride just as she is cheering me on now. As a single mom, who became disabled before my 30th birthday, I am no stranger to adversity.

Thankfully, an observant pharmacy technician observed swelling in my neck lymph nodes and brought it to my attention, she encouraged me to seek medical attention immediately. The doctor ordered me to come in that day and suspicious nodules were detected. Soon I had a PET scan with contrast that indicated a larger tumor in my lung and two smaller nodules in my breast and kidney.

I have since had a bronchoscopy/biopsy with lavage, needle biopsies, and multiple CT's and x-rays. Now I am having radiation because the cardiologist doesn't believe I am strong enough to make it through a lengthy surgery. This is due to the fact that I had a heart attack and stroke in March of 2017 which required 11 days in the hospital and 7 months of in-home therapy. I had another heart attack in June of 2021 while attempting to get cardiac clearance for lung surgery. Both heart attacks were due to afibrillation (AFIB). The lung cancer is in the lower right lobe. The type of radiation that I will be having is SBRT. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is a precise, high-dose form of radiation therapy that allows physicians to treat cancer in just one to five treatments, rather than the multiple doses over many weeks required in conventional radiation. With SBRT's high level of accuracy and precision, doctors can target and eliminate tumors while avoiding normal tissue. That makes SBRT, which also has fewer side effects than conventional radiation, more effective.

I am not fearful to have this cutting edge treatment, in fact I am excited and have full confidence in the University of Kansas Health System. I have been treated with the utmost compassion and respect; from the front desk, to the nurses, to all the doctors. Dr. Coster, my Radiation Oncologist, spent over two hours during the consultation describing the procedure and answering all my questions.

I am hoping these treatments will be a true Christmas miracle, getting rid of all of the pain, helping me to be able to get a good night sleep once again, and restoring my energy.

I appreciate any and all donations, no matter the size.