Help Lucy Access Vital Alternative Cancer Treatments

**If interested in Lucy’s full health story, here’s the link to previous GFM campaign: https://gofund.me/533b867b **

Update as of October 21, 2024:

As per the last update, the plan was to travel to MD Anderson in September so Lucy could get an internal hemipelvectomy, a complex and delicate surgery with an extensive recovery time. Much to all of our dismay, surgery was suddenly postponed by the surgeons, and she was told she had to do more chemotherapy before surgery could be performed. During chemo, her pain improved and so did her quality of life; she was able to get out more and spend more time with friends and family. After six grueling rounds of chemo last fall, the surgery was rescheduled for January of this year. Surgery was over 24 hours total, between the first surgery, a partial sacrectomy and spinal stabilization on 1/9, and the second surgery, the internal hemipelvectomy on 1/11. The surgeons got negative margins, meaning they were able to remove all of the cancer during the procedure.

Post-op was extremely difficult, with Lucy having to relearn many basic movements and activities (even sitting up in bed was a challenge), which involved inpatient rehab three times a day. Once she was discharged from the hospital, she continued outpatient physical therapy three times a week in Houston.

Once Lucy and Jeremy arrived back home in early April, she was regularly going to PT and making strides. Her pain was improving, and she had progressed from walking with a walker to doing over 300 feet on crutches. She was even getting in the pool doing aquatic therapy! Unfortunately, not long after making this progress, she started having out-of-control hip and leg pain again. By mid-June, the pain had gotten so bad she had no choice but to go to the hospital, during which a CT scan confirmed that there was recurrence in the surgical bed. It had also spread to her lower spine and towards the right side of her sacrum and pelvis, not to mention a few growing lung nodules. This left Lucy and the rest of our family feeling deeply crestfallen and lost.

We are heartbroken that after all of the conventional treatments, travel, and physical pain that Lucy has endured the past 3.5 years, the cancer has come back with a vengeance.

Needless to say, we are extremely disappointed in the outcomes that have resulted from conventional medicine. We feel alternative treatments and holistic methods are our only option at this point, to give her the best chance at beating this cancer once and for all. She is actively taking off-label medications and supplements, which are all out-of-pocket costs. We are also interested in trying IV Artemisinin combined with IV Vitamin C at the Stram Center in Albany. These treatments are quite costly, as they are not covered by insurance. This would be twice a week for 10 weeks to start and would require weekly travel back and forth to Albany, or finding temporary housing.

As a family, we ask for your help and community support during this very difficult and crucial time. Your donations will allow Lucy to complete these infusions as well as cover the associated travel expenses. If you are unable to donate at this time, please keep Lucy in your thoughts and prayers and share this campaign. Thank you! -The Brown Family