Help Heather get the cancer treatment she needs

My name is Kerri and I started this fundraiser to benefit my friend Heather (Root) Knickerbocker.

Heather and her son Kruze

Heather has a heart of gold and she deserves all the best, brightest, and most beautiful things this world has to offer. She is struggling with her health as she fights another round with cancer, and the cost of trips to NYC for treatment are adding a lot of financial stress on top of everything else. Heather is a former health care worker who loved her job as a certified medical assistant for UHS. She is a graduate of Chenango Forks and remains very active in the CF community, supporting her 5th-grade son, Kruze.

We are hopeful that the community will come together to support her.

Heather was diagnosed with lupus in 2016 and it affected her health in many ways, ultimately taking her out of work. Her legs swelled from the knees down, and she experienced a lot of pain and discomfort. She spent many days and nights elevating her legs due to swelling. She saw a rheumatologist at SUNY Upstate who diagnosed her and started oral medication to help with symptoms.

People with lupus are at an elevated risk of developing lymphoma and multiple other types of cancers. Heather’s first cancer diagnosis came from a lymph node biopsy last year. It was called NPLHL (Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma). She started chemo (RCHOP) in May, received 6 doses, and was hopeful that this was all behind her. Then her PET scans showed a mass growing on her ovary, which ended up being her second cancer diagnosis: Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma. Her case was transferred to Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center in NYC. She has already completed many trips to the city but many more are on the horizon. If you have any experience with travel in NYC, you know it is very expensive.

If you know Heather at all, you know she is not one to ask for help. But she has an 11-year old son for whom she is the primary caregiver. Kruze is her #1 priority always, so the financial stress of treating her illness has not been easy for her. Heather is also a caregiver for her father, who has many health issues of his own. She is a devoted and selfless mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend.

Heather and I are fortunate to belong to a tight-knit group of friends (CF class of 2000!) that have known each other since grade school. Heather will fight, even when she feels like giving up. But she will NOT do it alone.

If you are able, please donate to help ease her burdens. The funds will be used for lodging and travel costs to and from NYC for cancer treatments, testing, and appointments, as well as general medical expenses.

If you are not able to donate, please send some loving thoughts and prayers her way and share this far and wide. Thank you.