Help Jess conquer cancer!!
Donation protected
Back in March my best friend Jess’s right leg randomly began to swell and get bigger and bigger. Finally after the 5th day she finally went to the ER and was diagnosed with a blood clot. She immediately started treatment and throughout the treatment the pain kept getting worse. She went to the dr several times and had 4 separate ultrasounds all coming to the conclusion she had a blood clot. Her doctor continued to try and figure out what was wrong so eventually sent her to a vascular surgeon in July.
In July Jess had her 5th ultrasound and the technician went and brought in another technician and came to the conclusion it was a mass. The nurse consulted with her surgeon and determined she needed a CT scan. Come to find out she had a tumor in her leg called a pheripheal nerve sheath tumor this entire time. That surgeon did not feel comfortable touching this in surgery so referred her up to UNC.
Unfortunately once referred to UNC it takes time to become an established patient. Her first appointment wasn’t until September 6th. She went to the emergency room in August to get the ball rolling since the pain became too excruciating. She was then put in contact with the chief of neurosurgery. She had a phone appointment on September 5th and then was informed on September 13th that she was having surgery the following Friday.
Jess met with the neurosurgeon two days before her surgery and was told that there was a 5% chance it was cancer but he didn’t want to go over that information because he was sure it was a benign tumor. On Friday September 21st her entire life had a plot twist. She had cancer and then had complications and had to go through a second surgery to stop bleeding and needed a blood transfusion.
Jess has since learned she has stage 2 synovial sarcoma. It’s a very rare aggressive cancer that about 1% of the population get. There is also a 50% chance that it will come back and she’ll lose her entire right leg if caught in time. She needs to move up to Chapel Hill since it’s over 2 hours away to receive treatment. She will have 5 weeks of daily radiation. Then recover for 6 weeks and next have her third surgery. They will have to remove a huge section of her femoral nerve which controls hip movement and straightening your leg. She was told she will obviously never have that function again. They will also be removing a large portion of her quadricep and surrounding tissue. Her leg will forever be numb and she has to relearn how to walk through intensive physical therapy for several months. She will also need a knee brace to assist her in walking after therapy.
I would like to help Jess not stress about the medical bills and the cost of renting a room to receive treatment and again when she has physical therapy. Jess would give the shirt off her back to help anyone and now we have a chance to help her out. Anything is appreciated through this devastating time for Jess, her daughter and her family.
In July Jess had her 5th ultrasound and the technician went and brought in another technician and came to the conclusion it was a mass. The nurse consulted with her surgeon and determined she needed a CT scan. Come to find out she had a tumor in her leg called a pheripheal nerve sheath tumor this entire time. That surgeon did not feel comfortable touching this in surgery so referred her up to UNC.
Unfortunately once referred to UNC it takes time to become an established patient. Her first appointment wasn’t until September 6th. She went to the emergency room in August to get the ball rolling since the pain became too excruciating. She was then put in contact with the chief of neurosurgery. She had a phone appointment on September 5th and then was informed on September 13th that she was having surgery the following Friday.
Jess met with the neurosurgeon two days before her surgery and was told that there was a 5% chance it was cancer but he didn’t want to go over that information because he was sure it was a benign tumor. On Friday September 21st her entire life had a plot twist. She had cancer and then had complications and had to go through a second surgery to stop bleeding and needed a blood transfusion.
Jess has since learned she has stage 2 synovial sarcoma. It’s a very rare aggressive cancer that about 1% of the population get. There is also a 50% chance that it will come back and she’ll lose her entire right leg if caught in time. She needs to move up to Chapel Hill since it’s over 2 hours away to receive treatment. She will have 5 weeks of daily radiation. Then recover for 6 weeks and next have her third surgery. They will have to remove a huge section of her femoral nerve which controls hip movement and straightening your leg. She was told she will obviously never have that function again. They will also be removing a large portion of her quadricep and surrounding tissue. Her leg will forever be numb and she has to relearn how to walk through intensive physical therapy for several months. She will also need a knee brace to assist her in walking after therapy.
I would like to help Jess not stress about the medical bills and the cost of renting a room to receive treatment and again when she has physical therapy. Jess would give the shirt off her back to help anyone and now we have a chance to help her out. Anything is appreciated through this devastating time for Jess, her daughter and her family.
Organizer and beneficiary
Vanessa Castillo
Organizer
Chapin, SC
Jessica Stone
Beneficiary
