Help Teresa Fight Rare Cancer

A year ago, my mom, Teresa Pracon, was a healthy, strong, hard-working woman. As a skilled seamstress of 30 years, she sewed wedding gowns from scratch and could fix any piece of clothing that needed alteration.

When she wasn't creating beautiful wedding gowns, she dedicated her time, resources and energy to helping her family and friends whenever she could.

In fact, exactly a year ago she helped me celebrate the birth of my baby girl, her second grandchild.

Now, Teresa is fighting the battle of her life; she is fighting against an ultra-rare cancer called a PEComa, and she needs your support. With your help, we can expand her resources and enable her to work with the right specialists to treat her cancer. We can help her stay on top of her bills and ensure that all her needs are met during this difficult time.

On April 20, 2021, Teresa went in for a routine surgery to remove a uterine fibroid. She was told that fibroids are common and usually not cancerous. After a seven-hour surgery that resulted in a hysterectomy, her fibroid was sent off for testing.

A week later, just before her 50th birthday, my mom was told the news that no one ever wants to hear: It's cancer, and it's "ultra-rare. We were told that PEComas are extremely aggressive and they are difficult to treat with traditional cancer treatments.

We hoped against hope that all of the cancer was removed with the surgery. We saw specialists, asked questions, and committed to fighting this beast tooth and nail till it was gone.

Her first CT scan showed no visible signs of cancer, so we looked forward to a healthy summer, and hoped that the next scan would be the same. But by the beginning of August, barely three months post-diagnosis, there were signs that the cancer returned.

My mom, who seemed to have endless energy, was tired all the time, and experiencing vague pain throughout her body. She felt sick, though she hoped it was only a cold.

By mid-August, though, she had to stop working at her job. Her pain, fatigue, loss of appetite and other symptoms kept her from being able to do the simplest of tasks.

The latest scan confirmed it: Four months after being diagnosed, the cancer spread throughout her body, including to the lungs and abdomen.

A week ago, my mom was hospitalized for her symptoms. Now she is at home, and under the care of a Yale specialist, she is undergoing a new type of targeted therapy to hopefully keep the cancer from progressing any further.

Her battle is difficult to say the least. Cancer has stolen so much from her already. It has stolen her strength, her independence, her joy and well-being, and it has stolen her ability to work.

Her lack of income is causing her stress on top of all the challenges she is currently facing, which is why I created this fundraiser for her. If we can help alleviate even a little bit of Teresa's financial burden, she can focus entirely on fighting cancer and getting better. Her constant pain does not have to be compounded by the thought of not being able to stay on top of medical bills and daily living expenses.

Your support will go toward:

• Any current and future medical bills
• Transportation to medical appointments and procedures, including out of state if necessary
• Monthly mortgage and utility expenses,
• Any current and future care she needs at home

My mom is a nurturer by nature. She has always been generous with her friends and family, and she would show up and help wherever there is a need, no matter the person or circumstance. She is the kind of person who would give the shirt off her back even if she had none to spare.

Now, she needs us to show up for her. She needs us to lighten her burden and support her in the toughest battle of her life.

Please consider donating to Teresa's fight against cancer. Even if you cannot help, please share this page to spread the word. Let's do what we can to kick cancer's ass this time.