This account is to help my niece, Jessica Rodriguez, fight the biggest battle of her life. For a couple of months, she had a cough which her doctors attributed to asthma. Things took a scary turn when she became very short of breath at work and went to the ER. There, a scan revealed a large mass in the area of her lung. She also had to have nearly a liter of fluid drained off. She was admitted to the hospital and began a battery of tests, including a needle biopsy of her lung. Then, she and her family began the difficult weeks-long waiting game. When the first biopsy didn’t provide enough of a sample for diagnosis, she had an open lung biopsy and waited some more as those specimens were sent to a specialist at the University of Michigan. Finally, she was diagnosed with a rare form of Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma of the middle part of her chest. Due to the proximity to her aorta, surgery is not an option. She has begun inpatient chemo and has a long road ahead of her with more chemo and hospitalizations. She is a sweetheart and has the very best attitude. I was with her in pre-op for her lung biopsy, and when her nurse apologized for missing her IV, Jess replied, “It’s ok. I had a pet hedgehog, so I’m used to being poked!”

Jessica did not want to talk about a GoFundMe until after she knew if she could return to work. It is now clear she will be unable to work for at least a year. Any help provided will go towards expenses and to offset lost income as she, her husband, and her parents (my brother and sister-in-law) navigate this fight nobody wants. Thank you for reading and for your consideration.