Help Shannon Beat Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Hi, my name is Tracey, and I am fundraising for Shannon Silvestro, my son's girlfriend of seven years, and this is her story.

Just a few short weeks ago, Shannon, a young and vibrant 24-year-old woman, felt on top of the world having recently moved to South Carolina where she was knee-deep learning the ropes at a new job she started less than three months prior. Recently, she noticed some pain in her upper thigh and after a few days, with the pain worsening and now lumps appearing, she decided to have it checked out, fully expecting a mild infection or something benign. After a course of antibiotics, the condition worsened and ultimately a CT scan suggested it was likely Lymphoma. That is when her world began to fall apart. A few days later, a biopsy confirmed the disease to be Type B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. A more detailed PET scan revealed the disease had spread to multiple lymph node clusters on both sides of her body as well as above and below her diaphragm with nodules in both lungs and her spleen. A clear stage IV diagnosis was given with orders to install a port for Chemotherapy treatments to start as soon as practical because of the disease progression.

Away from most family and close friends and not yet vested in her new job, Shannon faces a significant mental, physical, and financial battle in the upcoming weeks and months as a minimum of 12 courses of Chemotherapy have been ordered over a 6 month period. It is hard enough for a young woman to face making her way in this challenging world. Adding in an unfamiliar environment, the uncertainty of a new job, and now a battle for her life, worrying about how to pay off significant medical bills for treatments, scans, and blood work, with unpaid sick leave, is not something that should be part of the equation. Please do what you can to help Shannon financially, as any amount will help offset the financial burden so she can fight this awful disease with all her physical and mental strength.

I will be sure to post frequent updates on her progress so you can see the courage of this remarkable woman as she battles this disease and inspires others to face their toughest challenge head-on.

We are sure she will beat this, and knowing the medical bills will be lessened will make the victory all that much sweeter. If you cannot donate, please offer your positive thoughts to support her throughout her ordeal and share this campaign if possible. If you want to help Shannon directly, please get in touch with me for more information.

Thank you in advance for your generosity,

Tracey