Help Hillary Fight Stage 4 Colorectal Cancer

After an unexpected hospital stay, a misdiagnosis, and 2 months of not feeling well, Hillary got the news no one is ever prepared to hear. On October 22nd, she was diagnosed with stage 3b colorectal cancer. 10 years after losing her father to esophageal cancer, Hillary faces her own diagnosis.

Hillary is a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and recent grandmother to the most amazing baby boy. She is a loyal friend, inspiration to many, dedicated worker, and the center of a village whom she continues to encourage even through this difficult journey of her own.

 





Hillary is currently undergoing chemotherapy for 3 days every other week. She receives 3 chemo medications (Oxaliplatin, Irinotecan and Fluorouracil (F5U)). These medications cause symptoms such as nausea, neuropathy, exhaustion, cold sensitivity, headaches, and extreme GI issues to name a few. Despite dealing with debilitating symptoms, Hillary continues to work full time. However, she is not getting compensated for her treatment days.

Once it has been determined that her cancer is responding, she will move into the second phase of her treatment plan. If her cancer is not responding, she will have an additional 3 months of chemo. Phase 2 consists of oral chemotherapy and radiation 5 days a week for a total of 28 treatments. Ideally, Phase 2 would consist of proton therapy instead of radiation. Proton therapy is less invasive and is a direct hit to the mass. It doesn’t affect the surrounding tissues and organs like radiation does. This therapy is very difficult to get approval for and is significantly more expensive than radiation.

Phase 3 will be a surgery to remove the mass and effected lymph nodes. This stage will ensure all cancer has been removed from her body.

Hillary’s treatment is so aggressive to prevent spread and recurrence. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death in men and women combined. Through it all, Hillary has remained humble, optimistic, poised, and has managed to ALWAYS see the light throughout the tunnel instead of simply at the end. Your donations will help with medicines, appointments, gas, therapy, and daily needs that Hillary and her family will continue to incur. We thank you in advance for your prayers, donations, and the time taken to read Hillary’s story. Thank you for being a part of her journey!