Help Kelly Kick Sarcoma's Butt
My name is Jenn and I've been friends with Carrie for about 30 years; by extension I've been friends with Kelly for about 11 years now. Kelly is one of the sweetest people I know, and she and Carrie have built a life together on a solid foundation of the love they have for each other.
Kelly's life's work is helping care for developmentally disabled adults. She is a tireless advocate and loves her job. She is a wife. Daughter. Sister. Friend. Mom to Penny the Pittie as well as a whole bunch of very lucky little kitties. Both Carrie and Kelly are loyal friends; to know them is to love them.
About a month ago, Kelly saw her doctor for a suspected lipoma on her shoulder blade. By the time it had grown to the size of a golf ball, there was concern it was a cyst. In a relatively short time it had grown to the size of a grapefruit, and by then Kelly had an appointment for it to be removed. When Kelly arrived at the hospital to have the lump removed, her surgeon advised she would only be doing a biopsy because she wanted to be sure Kelly had a simple non-malignant lipoma.
The next day, the biopsy results yielded a diagnosis of a high-grade (fast-growing) sarcoma. CT and MRI scans revealed that it didn't appear to be attached to anything and Kelly's surgeon was confident she could remove the sarcoma in its entirety.
On Wednesday, 8/11/2021, Kelly went in to have the sarcoma removed. Her surgeon believed she had only cut into healthy tissue and although she also had to remove some muscle tissue she believed she had gotten all of it. The sarcoma was sent for pathology.
Yesterday, 8/17/2021, Kelly and Carrie went to Kelly's follow-up appointment with her surgeon and to review the pathology report. It revealed that the cancer hadn't been completely removed and Kelly's surgeon referred her to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) for treatment.
After meeting with her oncologist this morning (8/18/2021), Carrie and Kelly were told that Kelly's cancer must be treated aggressively for her best chance of survival. She will receive inpatient chemotherapy treatment at MSK and radiation will be likely as well.
There is still so much that is unknown at this point, but one thing we do know is that Carrie and Kelly need our support and our love right now. They will both be out of work for some time, so it is not too soon to start fundraising. Kelly has insurance, but deductibles cost money as do travel expenses; short-term disability for Kelly and paid family leave for Carrie will provide only a percentage of their full-time earnings.
Please donate what you can. Every little bit helps, and the fight has only just begun. Thank you.
