Help for Timeka - Multiple Myeloma
Donation protected
This is one of my best friends in the whole world, Timeka Phillips. She is strong, independent, determined, and fighting for her life every day. Timeka has Multiple Myeloma, which is an incurable blood cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, the average life expectancy for Multiple Myeloma once diagnosed is 43 months , or less than four years, at Stage III. Through the grace of God and the skilled oncologists at Texas Oncology in Austin, TX, and MD Anderson in Houston, TX, Timeka has survived almost seven years since diagnosis. But now she needs our help.
Throughout her entire ordeal, Timeka has lived alone. She lost her mother at age 14, her grandmother (who was like her mother) at age 18, and has no siblings. She has relied on her personal income and savings, health insurance, grants, a few retired family members, and her church to help pay for the many treatments, travel back and forth to Houston, and cost of living. Now, with no more sick time available at work, her funds running dangerously low, and the prospect of going without a paycheck just so she can receive life-saving and lifelong treatment, we’re humbly asking for your help. Any amount you can give is a blessing to Timeka.
We’re aiming for a lofty goal, as Timeka could be out of work indefinitely, so please don’t think that your donation is too small. Every penny counts here. We appreciate anything you can do, even if it’s just sharing this with your friends and followers. Thank you so much for your help and your prayers.
Timeka’s Full Story:
In 2010, after receiving her B.S. in Psychology and M.S. in Clinical Psychology, Timeka moved from her home state of Virginia, leaving her family and friends on the East Coast behind, to start her career in Mental Health in Texas. About a year later in 2011, she decided to change careers and go back to school for Cyber Security. This is when she first began feeling very ill. She suffered from constant headaches, seven days a week, and she was always fatigued. She visited several doctors who all attributed her symptoms to stress. It got so bad that she began getting sick on her drive to work, causing her to have to pull over on the side of the road to vomit. She also began losing weight.
In August 2012, a nurse colleague suggested that Timeka ask for a blood test, as none of the previous doctors performed one in the nine months she was ill. After receiving the test, she received her first of many blood transfusions because her blood count was at five; the normal blood count for women is 12. The nurse was amazed that Timeka was still coherent; most people with a blood count that low typically pass out.
After a week in the hospital and many tests later, including a bone marrow biopsy (BMB), Timeka was told she had Hemolytic Anemia (an autoimmune disorder) and Stage III Multiple Myeloma in over 90% of her body, just two weeks before her 33rd birthday. While Stage IV is the highest for most cancers, Stage III is the highest for Multiple Myeloma.
Timeka began chemotherapy in October 2012 and was prescribed a medication to keep her bones strong called Zometa, since Multiple Myeloma can cause lytic lesions on the bones. However, the medication made her feel worse and she could barely move. Three days later, she was found passed out in her home from an allergic reaction to the medication. She was unclothed, with a fever of 104.4, very low blood pressure, a blood count of 4.2, dehydrated, and starving in a very hot apartment. EMTs wondered if she had fallen and hit her head because the shower curtain and rod were found pulled down in the bathroom but she was found on the sofa. If they had arrived 12 hours later than they did, Timeka may not have survived.
Timeka was rushed to the hospital. Once at the ER, doctors found out that her kidneys had failed and began her on dialysis. She was admitted to the hospital where she had to learn how to walk all over again and do breathing exercises due to a partially collapsed lung. After almost a month in the hospital, she was released and had to re-learn to drive and organize her medications in a pill box (something she used to do for her clients) due to problems with memory.
In September 2013, Timeka had a stem cell transplant as part of her treatment. She celebrated her 34th birthday in the hospital, which was a blessing considering what she’d already been through. On March 18, 2014, Timeka found out that her numbers were low enough to take her off intravenous chemotherapy and get on maintenance therapy oral chemotherapy.
Through all of this, Timeka has remained strong in her faith and made time to share her story on panels, church engagements, the StupidCancer radio show, in a local documentary that focused on young adult cancer survivors, her blog (which isn’t currently active but accessible), and also expanded her mentoring into the cancer realm and became a mentor for Imerman Angels & 4th Angel to help other cancer patients/survivors.
Regrettably, Timeka began to relapse in July of 2016. The oncologist tried a number of treatments but her body would not respond to them. She then found out that she suffers from deletion 17p, which means a portion of the upper part of chromosome 17 is missing, so she is considered to be high risk. Her body doesn’t respond to a lot of medications, or will respond but only for a short time. She will never be on just maintenance therapy again due to being high risk. Instead, she will be on intravenous chemotherapy for the rest of her life.
Timeka re-started intravenous chemotherapy in November 2016. She eventually stopped responding to treatment so in April 2018, she was admitted into the hospital for aggressive chemotherapy. After she was released, she went back to a regular chemotherapy regimen which kept her numbers in a good place.
In April 2019, Timeka’s numbers began trending up again and she was no longer responding to the treatment, so she is now in the hospital to have two rounds of aggressive chemotherapy. After that, the oncologists will discuss what is next for her.
This is going to be a lifelong battle, and a very expensive journey despite all of Timeka’s efforts to stay working. There have been times when she’s considered giving up, as she’s already beaten most of the odds for survival and is extremely tired. But Timeka’s faith in God has helped her through this battle, and she knows that He is the reason for her continued survival.
Please know that any money we receive goes directly to Timeka. We've been friends since our freshman year at high school (over 25 years now) and I'm not doing this to make any money for myself. I sincerely appreciate anyone who's read Timeka's story and can either donate or share the story with others. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
- Erika
According to the American Cancer Society, the average life expectancy for Multiple Myeloma once diagnosed is 43 months , or less than four years, at Stage III. Through the grace of God and the skilled oncologists at Texas Oncology in Austin, TX, and MD Anderson in Houston, TX, Timeka has survived almost seven years since diagnosis. But now she needs our help.
Throughout her entire ordeal, Timeka has lived alone. She lost her mother at age 14, her grandmother (who was like her mother) at age 18, and has no siblings. She has relied on her personal income and savings, health insurance, grants, a few retired family members, and her church to help pay for the many treatments, travel back and forth to Houston, and cost of living. Now, with no more sick time available at work, her funds running dangerously low, and the prospect of going without a paycheck just so she can receive life-saving and lifelong treatment, we’re humbly asking for your help. Any amount you can give is a blessing to Timeka.
We’re aiming for a lofty goal, as Timeka could be out of work indefinitely, so please don’t think that your donation is too small. Every penny counts here. We appreciate anything you can do, even if it’s just sharing this with your friends and followers. Thank you so much for your help and your prayers.
Timeka’s Full Story:
In 2010, after receiving her B.S. in Psychology and M.S. in Clinical Psychology, Timeka moved from her home state of Virginia, leaving her family and friends on the East Coast behind, to start her career in Mental Health in Texas. About a year later in 2011, she decided to change careers and go back to school for Cyber Security. This is when she first began feeling very ill. She suffered from constant headaches, seven days a week, and she was always fatigued. She visited several doctors who all attributed her symptoms to stress. It got so bad that she began getting sick on her drive to work, causing her to have to pull over on the side of the road to vomit. She also began losing weight.
In August 2012, a nurse colleague suggested that Timeka ask for a blood test, as none of the previous doctors performed one in the nine months she was ill. After receiving the test, she received her first of many blood transfusions because her blood count was at five; the normal blood count for women is 12. The nurse was amazed that Timeka was still coherent; most people with a blood count that low typically pass out.
After a week in the hospital and many tests later, including a bone marrow biopsy (BMB), Timeka was told she had Hemolytic Anemia (an autoimmune disorder) and Stage III Multiple Myeloma in over 90% of her body, just two weeks before her 33rd birthday. While Stage IV is the highest for most cancers, Stage III is the highest for Multiple Myeloma.
Timeka began chemotherapy in October 2012 and was prescribed a medication to keep her bones strong called Zometa, since Multiple Myeloma can cause lytic lesions on the bones. However, the medication made her feel worse and she could barely move. Three days later, she was found passed out in her home from an allergic reaction to the medication. She was unclothed, with a fever of 104.4, very low blood pressure, a blood count of 4.2, dehydrated, and starving in a very hot apartment. EMTs wondered if she had fallen and hit her head because the shower curtain and rod were found pulled down in the bathroom but she was found on the sofa. If they had arrived 12 hours later than they did, Timeka may not have survived.
Timeka was rushed to the hospital. Once at the ER, doctors found out that her kidneys had failed and began her on dialysis. She was admitted to the hospital where she had to learn how to walk all over again and do breathing exercises due to a partially collapsed lung. After almost a month in the hospital, she was released and had to re-learn to drive and organize her medications in a pill box (something she used to do for her clients) due to problems with memory.
In September 2013, Timeka had a stem cell transplant as part of her treatment. She celebrated her 34th birthday in the hospital, which was a blessing considering what she’d already been through. On March 18, 2014, Timeka found out that her numbers were low enough to take her off intravenous chemotherapy and get on maintenance therapy oral chemotherapy.
Through all of this, Timeka has remained strong in her faith and made time to share her story on panels, church engagements, the StupidCancer radio show, in a local documentary that focused on young adult cancer survivors, her blog (which isn’t currently active but accessible), and also expanded her mentoring into the cancer realm and became a mentor for Imerman Angels & 4th Angel to help other cancer patients/survivors.
Regrettably, Timeka began to relapse in July of 2016. The oncologist tried a number of treatments but her body would not respond to them. She then found out that she suffers from deletion 17p, which means a portion of the upper part of chromosome 17 is missing, so she is considered to be high risk. Her body doesn’t respond to a lot of medications, or will respond but only for a short time. She will never be on just maintenance therapy again due to being high risk. Instead, she will be on intravenous chemotherapy for the rest of her life.
Timeka re-started intravenous chemotherapy in November 2016. She eventually stopped responding to treatment so in April 2018, she was admitted into the hospital for aggressive chemotherapy. After she was released, she went back to a regular chemotherapy regimen which kept her numbers in a good place.
In April 2019, Timeka’s numbers began trending up again and she was no longer responding to the treatment, so she is now in the hospital to have two rounds of aggressive chemotherapy. After that, the oncologists will discuss what is next for her.
This is going to be a lifelong battle, and a very expensive journey despite all of Timeka’s efforts to stay working. There have been times when she’s considered giving up, as she’s already beaten most of the odds for survival and is extremely tired. But Timeka’s faith in God has helped her through this battle, and she knows that He is the reason for her continued survival.
Please know that any money we receive goes directly to Timeka. We've been friends since our freshman year at high school (over 25 years now) and I'm not doing this to make any money for myself. I sincerely appreciate anyone who's read Timeka's story and can either donate or share the story with others. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
- Erika
Organizer and beneficiary
Erika Stoots
Organizer
Hutto, TX
Timeka Phillips
Beneficiary