Help Team J Fight Kidney Cancer
Donation protected
Joyce is a 43 year old, single mother of 2 beautiful blessings, Neveah and DJ. Joyce loves her family. She’s a lover of life. She enjoys laughter and focuses on the positive. Her life was interrupted with a rare form of kidney cancer, Renal Medullary Carcinoma Cancer, RMC, that affects individuals that are carriers of the sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease.
Her Story…
My life was totally changed in June 2019. I began to have extreme back pain on my left side, abdominal pain, and weight loss. I went to urgent care. I was told I had kidney stones after having an x-ray. Several weeks went by and my symptoms remained the same. Then I began to have blood in my urine that really caused concern. After several months of ER visits, doctor and specialist appointments, continuous tests, and second opinions I received a diagnosis. In November 2019, I was informed during an ER visit that I had a tumor on my right kidney and it presented like cancer. I had more testing, scans and a biopsy performed. I was diagnosed with Renal Medullary Cancer, RMC. I had to start chemotherapy immediately because it was so aggressive. I completed 3 rounds of chemo and had numerous CT scans performed.
I am told that the tumor has grown instead of shrinking. More chemo is not an option and surgery to remove my kidney is too risky. My cancer is aggressive and progressing fast. My only option at this time is to leave my children and travel from North Carolina to Houston, Texas to enroll in a clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center to help save my life. Unfortunately my health insurance is not accepted at MD Anderson. I am responsible for cost of treatments, labs, appointments, lodging, transportation, medications and meals. Donations are needed to save my life.
Thank you in advance for you love and support. We are grateful for any contribution, big or small, prayers and words of encouragement.
Her Story…
My life was totally changed in June 2019. I began to have extreme back pain on my left side, abdominal pain, and weight loss. I went to urgent care. I was told I had kidney stones after having an x-ray. Several weeks went by and my symptoms remained the same. Then I began to have blood in my urine that really caused concern. After several months of ER visits, doctor and specialist appointments, continuous tests, and second opinions I received a diagnosis. In November 2019, I was informed during an ER visit that I had a tumor on my right kidney and it presented like cancer. I had more testing, scans and a biopsy performed. I was diagnosed with Renal Medullary Cancer, RMC. I had to start chemotherapy immediately because it was so aggressive. I completed 3 rounds of chemo and had numerous CT scans performed.
I am told that the tumor has grown instead of shrinking. More chemo is not an option and surgery to remove my kidney is too risky. My cancer is aggressive and progressing fast. My only option at this time is to leave my children and travel from North Carolina to Houston, Texas to enroll in a clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center to help save my life. Unfortunately my health insurance is not accepted at MD Anderson. I am responsible for cost of treatments, labs, appointments, lodging, transportation, medications and meals. Donations are needed to save my life.
Thank you in advance for you love and support. We are grateful for any contribution, big or small, prayers and words of encouragement.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kim McNeil
Organizer
Raleigh, NC
Joyce Garner
Beneficiary