Help Me Be a Hero for MY Hero

Hi, I’m Emily Wallace and I’m raising funds for my incredible, hard-working, brilliant, generous, loving mom, Jodi Wallace, who is scheduled to have Lung Cancer surgery in a couple of weeks. 

Jodi (or Mamala, as I like to call her) has always gone far above and beyond to take care of her family. When I was incredibly sick with Lyme Disease, she did everything in her power to help me get well; including spending tens of thousands of dollars to get me the treatment I needed, even when it wasn’t covered by insurance. Now, my mom is the one who vitally needs out-of-pocket medical treatment. I wish I were in a position to take care of her financially like she took care of me. I’m not currently able to do that, so I’m reaching out to my incredible community for help. 

My mom has already been through quite a lot in the past few years, medically speaking. She is a breast cancer survivor; undergoing a lumpectomy, radiation, and intense chemotherapy in 2015. This past year alone she's already had surgery to remove a (pre-cancerous) breast lump and a complicated stomach/esophagus surgery which resulted in hospitalization for pneumonia.

The pneumonia may have been a blessing in disguise because it was how this malignant growth in her lung was discovered. During the hospitalization in March, a CAT scan showed that a nodule had grown compared to a previous scan. This August, a follow-up scan showed that the mass has continued to grow. She had a PET scan a few weeks ago and it was found to be abnormal.

Thanks to my mom’s oncologist, we were able to get a referral to meet with an amazing lung cancer surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC, one of the best cancer hospitals in the country. Because of the position (both the depth and location) of the tumor and my mom’s history of breast cancer, it is a complicated surgery. It was clear to all of us (docs and family) that we should not consider doing the procedure anywhere else. Unfortunately, my mom is insured through the Healthcare Exchange and Sloan Kettering and the doctor are considered out of her insurance network. 

My mom has ALREADY spent $23,000 this year for insurance and necessary medical care. She now faces a mountain of financial burden around this surgery, starting with $16,500 to meet her out-of-network maximum. My goal is to raise funds to defray the cost of her medical bills and the many incidental/post-surgical expenses like: visiting nurses, medication, physical therapy, transportation, healthy meals, treatments for future cancer prevention, and other necessary care.

I know that my mom would prefer to cover all these expenses for herself, as she always has. She is a proud, hard-working, independent woman.  My mom is a marketing genius who, after years of working in corporate environments, started her own consulting company so she could work from home when my sister, Abby, and I were young. She worked beyond full time hours, while putting dinner on the table every night and attending every game, show, and concert we had. She put me through college. She helped me get well. I don’t know how she did it all. I really don’t. 

My mom gives beyond 100% to whatever she does (for example, if she has a 10 hour-a-week client, she works 25). She says she doesn’t want to stop working or seeking new clients during her recovery and she didn’t want to use crowd fundraising, but a financial surprise of this magnitude is something no one can plan for. Right now, I want her to be able to focus on her recovery and future wellness and not have to worry about massive medical bills. She's an amazing person who truly deserves a break. 

I know my family would be so incredibly grateful for whatever support you can offer us in this challenging time. Small donations add up to big miracles! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts in advance. 

Jodi Wallace is a superhero. Can you help me be a superhero for her?