Well, we have an update for Kat’s treatment. After all of the traveling and doctors appointments and setting up her simulation for treatment at Emory, insurance denied coverage for proton therapy. We’ve exhausted our appeals. I have filed a complaint with the Alabama insurance commission but I don’t expect it to go anywhere. So it looks like she’ll be staying home and getting standard photon therapy here. It’s not what we wanted, and hopefully they’ll be able to mitigate the damage, but she needs to go ahead and get started. Her oncologist here is wonderful and has already set her up for the simulation and is going to fast track her so she can start next week. There are silver linings. She’ll be able to stay home and have all the support that she needs instead of moving away. Also, the money she would’ve had to put towards housing in Atlanta can be put towards medical bills now, especially since our deductible will be resetting. We also found out she’ll need scans yearly for the rest of our life to stay on top of this, so if she has anything left over, it will help with that as well. Thank you so much to everyone again for helping her. I can’t express how much it means to us.

This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. We have always been very private people. We are not ones to tell our “stories”, much less ask for help but we’ve found ourselves in a situation where we really need all the help we can get.

In August of 2023 our daughter Kat was diagnosed with head and neck cancer, caused by a malignant tumor in her cheek called a Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma, which spread to some of the lymph nodes in her neck. She had surgery to remove the lymph nodes, and the next step is radiation. Her prognosis is good, which we are so thankful for, but she has a long road ahead of her to ensure every microscopic bit of this cancer is gone. Because of her age, the way the tumor manifested itself, and the area the radiation has to target, we have been advised by multiple oncologists that proton radiation therapy, a more targeted form of radiation, is the best course of treatment. Because this is a specialized treatment it is very costly and the closest clinic that offers it is at Emory in Atlanta. In a few weeks Kat will have to move there temporarily for the duration of her treatment, around 2 months, and will be unable to work.

This is the hard part. This is where where we can use your help. In addition to the portion of medical costs not covered by our insurance, Kat will have unexpected housing and travel expenses. We are exhausting efforts to locate charitable or reduced housing but as of this time have not been able to secure anything. Trent, her fiancé, is able to work remotely so he will be able to be with Kat while covering most of the the expenses back home. We are doing everything we can to prepare but like so many people and families in this country facing illnesses like this, the costs exceed everything we can do. We would greatly appreciate any donation to help get Kat get the treatment she needs to get well.