Help Jessica Fight Cancer

To those that are reading this, I am creating this GoFundMe to help my best friend Jessica fight Thyroid Cancer. Jessica was misdiagnosed for 4 years before finding out that she has a cancerous thyroid tumor obstructing her trachea and carotid artery. Jessica first started experiencing symptoms of severe hair loss, extreme fatigue, and rapid weight gain. Being told by doctors that it was just stress, and to eat less and move more despite being a fitness/nutrition coach and professional dancer, Jessica went to 5 more doctors over the span of 4 years searching for answers.

She started developing issues swallowing, neck pain, and ear ringing. She was sent home with steroid medications and told she had acid reflux/ear inflammation. A few months later, Jessica developed trouble breathing, and neck pain. She went to the ER and was sent home again without answers. Knowing inside of her that something was seriously wrong, Jessica went back to her doctor and demanded imaging. A CT scan and thyroid ultrasound revealed that Jessica has Thyroid Cancer with a tumor obstructing her Trachea and Carotid Artery as well as thyroid disease.

The emotional hardship was great as she was working as a health and fitness coach/professional dancer and had to fully step back from both careers. She had spent years trying to get answers and help while being told it was all in her mind or that she was too young to have cancer. Fighting to save her Thyroid organ and avoid further lifelong health problems, Jessica had a procedure named RFA (radio frequency ablation) done to destroy the tumor in November 2021. The tumor shrunk 76% and her doctor told her that the cancer cells were eradicated. Unfortunately, the tumor was not fully destroyed and Jessica found out during follow up that the tumor is growing again quickly, the cancer has reared its ugly head with a 70% chance of causing metastasis to her lymph nodes or lungs.

Jessica is hoping to travel to Germany as soon as possible to be treated by one of the pioneers of RFA thyroid cancer treatment there. We are hoping to get her there quickly, to prevent the cancer from spreading. This is not a procedure covered by insurance and no payment plans are available. Jessica faced the unexpected medical debt of $10,000 for the first round and she will need to pay out of pocket again for this second round. Doctors in the US treat benign tumors via RFA, with only 2% taking cancerous cases like Jessica's. In Europe, procedure outcomes, experience, and guarantee of remission are much higher than the U.S.

Just 2 weeks ago after making work arrangements with her job to work from Germany, Jessica was laid off due to budget cuts. This has made the financial hardship even more difficult. Jessica is the type of person who is always looking for ways to help and advocate for others. Having gone through this experience, she is hoping to go into remission and help other women and men suffering, by sharing her experience and teaching them to advocate for themselves so they too can get life saving treatment, sooner.

We know that any contribution will make a huge difference in Jessica’s life. Your kindness and generosity mean the world. It will help Jessica cover the out of pocket medical bills and living expenses as she continues to bravely fight for remission. Please donate and share this link if you can! If your support comes in the form of prayers or positive thoughts, please send them Jessica’s way. She's been fighting for over 4 years and we are determined to close this chapter for good!

>>> Click me to watch Jessica's journey so far