Help Claudia Come Home

*Update* Claudia made it to Mexico to the treatment center, however she began having emergency issues with her kidneys and was sent back to the states to Chula Vista Scripps outside  of San Diego.  We were given the devastating news that she is being put on hospice. We need to get her home to Florida as soon as possible and she cannot travel by commercial air as she will need to be on a stretcher with medical personal near by.  Please help us raise money to cover to costs to get her home and share this page anywhere and everywhere you can.  We need a miracle. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and donations. 

Hi Everyone, Raquel here. I'm writing on behalf of my friend Claudia, whom I've known for over 10 years now. She is a cat lover, a photographer, a teacher and a strong woman who desperately needs our help to overcome her second battle of cancer.

 

Only a few years before Claudia's first diagnosis, her sister passed away from bladder cancer. I vividly remember when this happened, as myself and a community of fellow cat lovers helped with getting her sisters fur babies adopted.

 

When Claudia's stomach pains began, cancer wasn't the first thing that came to mind. She worked on changing her diet, however there was no relief. Since she thought she had gastrointestinal issues, she scheduled an appointment with the doctor. They were concerned that something serious was going on and ordered CT scans and an immediate appointment with the gynecologist. This led to the devastating news that she too had cancer, it was in her ovaries and the tumors were all over.

 

Claudia barely had time to cope with the loss of her sister before this diagnosis . She began chemo and radiation in December of 2020. The treatment was so intense that she wound up in the hospital, as her kidneys were shutting down. But she wasn't giving up! Approaching this battle from a mind/body/spirit angle was how she intended on doing it. She was released from the hospital and eventually the tumors began to shrink.

 

At this time, Claudia was teaching high school photography classes, and because of covid she was able to teach remotely. She spoke with her students candidly about what was going on and hoped her own story would help teach them how to be resilient and work through whatever it is that life throws at you. After her first surgery, it seemed that things were looking up and her bloodwork looked good. As a precaution they wanted to do additional chemo, which was hard - as she finally felt good. And although she moved forward with the treatment, the cancer showed back up before that round of chemo was even finished.

 

Unfortunately, life continued to go down hill. Claudia went back to teaching in person during her third round of chemo. She was so sick that she had to keep a garbage can near by at all times, and eventually she just couldn't do it any more. Since things were getting progressively worse, she decided to explore options for alternative treatments. In the mid 80's, her step-dad was given a terminal diagnosis with less than one year to live. He sought out alternative treatments and this is what gave him a second chance at life!

 

Now, Claudia has made her way to a treatment center in Mexico that specializes in a more holistic way of healing, combined with the traditional therapy she believes this is going to be her chance at overcoming the cancer . The cost of treatment is not covered by insurance, and we need help to raise money for her care. Every person who can donate or share is instrumental in helping Claudia live through this! We need your help and we are putting out all of the positive vibes and prayers for a full recovery.

 

Let's get Claudia back to doing what she loves, which is teaching photography, spending time with her cats and being a light in the community for all of those she interacts with. Thank you to everyone who donates or shares, together we can make this happen.