I'm just going to start out by stating how incredibly difficult this was for us to write, and how thankful we are for everyone just willing to read Mama's story.

As some of you know, on October 1, 2024, our mom, Tracy, was unexpectedly diagnosed with renal carcinoma (kidney cancer) with metastases to both lungs. At the time, she had the remnants of a cold and thought perhaps she had pneumonia due to a lingering cough. The diagnosis came after a long day at the ER and truly shocked us all. After the initial diagnosis, aside from some fatigue, a bad cough, and what was left of her cold, Mom was feeling okay enough to keep working and living life as normal. We were never prepared for how quickly the tide changed. Since her diagnosis, she has come up against a myriad of challenges. Her lungs have been consistently filling with fluid, which has resulted in multiple thoracentesis and three separate surgeries to place Pleurx catheters on each side of her back that allow Dad and Heather to drain the fluid build-up at home each day. She is on continuous oxygen and has experienced a significant decrease in her daily function. As a result, Mom has been out of work since mid-December. She has had several visits to the ER, multiple scans, four hospital stays, weekly lab work, and is two months into her immunotherapy treatment, which consists of triweekly infusions and daily medication. And this is only the beginning as she has years of treatment left to go.

It has been an incredibly stressful, unpredictable, and emotionally taxing last few months. We're not sure what the future holds, but we're all in this fight for the long haul. Anyone who knows our mom knows what a strong, compassionate, kind, giving, funny, and overall amazing person she is. She's the type that would do anything for anyone and never ask for anything in return.

Whether you donate, share, or just leave a kind word, know that we appreciate you!