Help Erin "Fern" Brennan with Cancer Costs
Donation protected
Friends, we truly hate to do this but Fern and I need help. My strong and stubborn wife’s recurrent glioblastoma has progressed to the point where she is on a cocktail of experimental drugs and the costs of treatment and life are beginning to weigh on us. I feel like it’s time for me to take medical leave from work, but since we have been a single income family for almost two years that’s not entirely feasible without financial help.
Here’s what she has been through:
- 4 brain surgeries, including the placement of a permanent shunt to drain fluid from her brain
- Countless rounds of chemotherapy
- 3 separate times she has received the maximum amount of radiation one can tolerate in a lifetime
- Ongoing biweekly immunotherapy via an IV
- Almost every anti-seizure medication on the market, including one that cost $1200/month
- Physical therapy, occupational therapy, accessibility modifications to our home, and eventually, very much reluctantly, a wheelchair
It has been 7 years since her initial diagnosis and if you’ve been following along, you already know she’s an absolute badass. Many of you know her dear sister, Cate, was diagnosed with another type of brain cancer over the summer and is undergoing treatment right now as well. This presents a whole new set of challenges for the family at the same time we are encountering increased difficulty in Fern’s mobility and treatment options.
We are beginning to explore options for in-home care as the stresses of everyday life stack up. So your contribution will help me utilize FMLA and spend more time with my wife, help ease the financial toll of the costs of treatment already incurred, and allow us to hire professional help around the home so Fern’s family and I can get a much needed respite.
I hate this and I appreciate you.
Organizer
Kelly Carmichael
Organizer
Fort Lauderdale, FL