On April 23rd of this year, Francine was admitted to the ER after feeling disoriented and experiencing numbness in her right arm. After running several tests, bloodwork, CT scans and MRIs, it was concluded that Francine had actually experienced a seizure that was caused by a brain tumor. Within 2 weeks, Francine was in surgery to remove the tumor from her left parietal lobe. Although the surgery was successful in removing the tumor, the biopsy showed the tumor was malignant and that Francine had brain cancer. The official diagnosis was a Grade 4 Glioblastoma IDH Wild, which unfortunately is a very aggressive, terminal brain cancer. Her Neuro Oncologist described it as “the worst of the worst” from the onset beginning stages. He stated that surgery would be impossible at removing the cancer completely, as the cancerous tissue had already spread amongst the healthy brain tissue.

This particular brain tumor is rare, as only 12,000 people are diagnosed each year and the life expectancy is not long. Once diagnosed and the traditional treatment such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation has begun, a patient’s life expectancy can be anywhere from a few months to a year. Francine is willing to do what it takes to fight for her life. She is 60 years young, has 2 adult children and 4 beautiful grandchildren, ranging from 4 weeks to 17 years old. Sadly, earlier this year, Francine lost her brother to cancer after a very tough 7 year fight. As you can imagine, this diagnosis has been devastating for her family. She knows how important it is to fight as hard as she can. Francine is a fighter.

With the full support of her family, who have been researching multiple options outside of the traditional treatment presented by her Neuro Oncologist, she is looking for any other treatment options that can help prolong her life. Unfortunately, these alternative treatments are very costly, as they are not covered by her insurance and treatment would be out of state. Francine has been quoted anywhere from around $80,000 upwards to $200,000 in out-of-pocket expenses for these treatments. We are looking for any donation to these medical expenses and ask that this GoFundMe be shared as much as possible. Anything helps and is greatly appreciated.

If anyone has any information for other treatment options, we would be beyond grateful to hear about them. Francine understands that time is the most important gift and she is hoping to get more of it. Thank you all for your love, support and prayers.

Linked is information about the facilities, treatment options and information about the cancer Francine has.

https://www.cityofhope.org/clinical-program/brain-tumors?msclkid=9ecbf1a5e32c14082eb491648e189594&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=T1%20-%20PROGRAMS%20-%20Brain&utm_term=glioblastoma%20brain%20cancer&utm_content=Brain%20Tumors%20-%20Research%20-%20Information%20(Phrase)&gclid=CJGAn6b3i_ECFccYrQYdmXgBOQ&gclsrc=ds 

https://www.envita.com/conditions/cancer?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=envita&utm_content=envita&utm_campaign=bing-cpc-envita&msclkid=879db2e53a151fb53f28d22453fa3147 https://med.stanford.edu/neurosurgery/divisions/brain-tumor.html 
https://www.mdanderson.org/cancer-types/brain-tumor.html