Help Me Overcome Melanoma Cancer

We are the Pearce family, Jedd, Maritza and our precious daughter Elena. Our lives began together in Colombia, where we met and married. Three years ago, we moved to the US with bright anticipation, hoping to find jobs where we could further our careers and begin a family. Our start was a bit rough. Overcoming many hurdles, we were beginning to feel more settled when the skies opened, and the rain fell as the flood waters rose. We found ourselves being evacuated from our apartment by fire crews in a boat. Our apartment was a total loss, and our cars were destroyed. We were thankful that we were able to be rescued safely with our most valuable possession, our three-week-old baby girl. Distraught but not defeated, we moved into an empty apartment and started over again. Soon we had the opportunity to work towards moving into our forever home with all the tough times behind us.

Our daughter brought such joy to our family. She was beginning to crawl when our hopes and dreams were threatened in a way we could never have imagined. The dry patch on my face (Jedd’s) seemed insignificant at first. We became anxious as the patch became a sore and the sore became a growth. It became very clear we were not dealing with a spot of dermatitis. Finally, doctors biopsied the growth and we were given the worst possible news, I was diagnosed with Melanoma.

Melanoma patients are taken to surgery very quickly as it is a cancer that can metastasize in as little as six weeks. I began a series of tests to see if the cancer had spread. We were thankful for clear scans, but in order to have the best outcome it was necessary to begin Immunotherapy immediately.

I am still undergoing immunotherapy treatment which we hope will prevent a recurrence in the future. We have tried to pay our hospital bills on time, but now we're in a tight financial situation. We've had to pay over $20k this year out of pocket for my treatment, which as been a lot to handle. This whole experience has been quite stressful as it is. I don't want to have another layer of worry, for my family or myself. If you would like to help us pay some hospital bills, please consider donating to our family. We are thankful for family, friends, and people we do not know, who are willing to help us.