Help Our Favorite Bird, Shawna, Heal Up!
Donation protected
Hey friends! Our favorite bird, Shawna, needs your help to get healed up.
Backstory:
In late-2018, Shawna was diagnosed with hepatocellular adenomas. These benign liver tumors are a less common variety of liver tumor and occur most often in women of childbearing age and have been linked to oral contraceptive use, where higher doses of estrogen were used.
These tumors generally do not cause symptoms and most are never detected. In Shawna's case they were detected via elevated liver enzymes during routine blood screening. She had 10+ lesions at around 5-9 centimeters in size that needed treatment. If left untreated, hepatocellular adenomas can rupture spontaneously. This can cause abdominal pain and internal bleeding. A ruptured hepatocellular adenoma requires immediate medical treatment. In rare cases, untreated hepatocellular adenomas can become cancerous. This is more likely when the tumor is large.
Treatment:
Treatment is generally a surgical procedure that requires an overnight stay at the hospital due to the number and size of the lesions. So far, Shawna has had to undergo two surgical procedures with the first in 2019 and second in 2020. After her initial treatments, both liver lobes are responding well. However, there is still one large adenoma that requires continued monitoring via MRI and may require a 3rd procedure. Each surgery runs about $80k - $90k, and Shawna is responsible for a percentage of this not covered by her insurance. With treatment, prognosis is good for a full recovery.
Our Fundraiser:
We all know that medical costs in the United States are astronomical. Despite this, Shawn has been able to cover the majority of the costs via her savings. However, these costs have depleted all of her financial reserves and she still owes $5k to cover the rest of her surgical bill and her follow-up MRI.
We're asking friends, family, and community to band together to help our lovely friend out and cover what's left of her medical expenses. While this will not cover a future 3rd procedure, it at least gets her back to even footing.
How Can You Help?
Any donation is a huge step forward to helping Shawna cover these costs. Even if you cannot donate, hitting the "Share" button and sharing this out to your community helps. As the saying goes...it takes a village...and we know our village is full of amazing humans. Thank you for your love, support, and compassion.
Backstory:
In late-2018, Shawna was diagnosed with hepatocellular adenomas. These benign liver tumors are a less common variety of liver tumor and occur most often in women of childbearing age and have been linked to oral contraceptive use, where higher doses of estrogen were used.
These tumors generally do not cause symptoms and most are never detected. In Shawna's case they were detected via elevated liver enzymes during routine blood screening. She had 10+ lesions at around 5-9 centimeters in size that needed treatment. If left untreated, hepatocellular adenomas can rupture spontaneously. This can cause abdominal pain and internal bleeding. A ruptured hepatocellular adenoma requires immediate medical treatment. In rare cases, untreated hepatocellular adenomas can become cancerous. This is more likely when the tumor is large.
Treatment:
Treatment is generally a surgical procedure that requires an overnight stay at the hospital due to the number and size of the lesions. So far, Shawna has had to undergo two surgical procedures with the first in 2019 and second in 2020. After her initial treatments, both liver lobes are responding well. However, there is still one large adenoma that requires continued monitoring via MRI and may require a 3rd procedure. Each surgery runs about $80k - $90k, and Shawna is responsible for a percentage of this not covered by her insurance. With treatment, prognosis is good for a full recovery.
Our Fundraiser:
We all know that medical costs in the United States are astronomical. Despite this, Shawn has been able to cover the majority of the costs via her savings. However, these costs have depleted all of her financial reserves and she still owes $5k to cover the rest of her surgical bill and her follow-up MRI.
We're asking friends, family, and community to band together to help our lovely friend out and cover what's left of her medical expenses. While this will not cover a future 3rd procedure, it at least gets her back to even footing.
How Can You Help?
Any donation is a huge step forward to helping Shawna cover these costs. Even if you cannot donate, hitting the "Share" button and sharing this out to your community helps. As the saying goes...it takes a village...and we know our village is full of amazing humans. Thank you for your love, support, and compassion.
Fundraising team (2)
Dave Sterling
Organizer
Everett, WA
Shawna Bird
Beneficiary
SHAWNA BIRD
Team member
