Hi, my name is Tina and I am Racheal’s mother law. Racheal Hope Renee came into our family in late 2015 when she began dating our son, Austin. What I thought would be a short relationship turned into one of the most beautiful and strong relationships in our entire family. We embraced Racheal immediately as one of our own as I could see she was one of the most strong willed yet very loving and genuine person I have ever come to know. After an unfortunate miscarriage in early 2017 and a tough go with a gallbladder surgery in which we almost lost her at the end of May 2017, Racheal and Austin decided to commit themselves to each other for life and on June 11, 2017, Racheal officially became a member of our family. Less than a year later, we were blessed with the news of another pregnancy with our granddaughter and on January 11, 2019, coming 3 weeks early and with a couple of complications with labor, Hazelee Dianna was born a very little, yet healthy baby girl. Through many trials and tribulations, Racheal has always fought, never backing down at what’s thrown at her. She is truly a fighter and one of my biggest heroes.

Racheal was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Adrenocortical Carcinoma…a rare yet aggressive cancer that attacks the adrenal gland. Most symptoms are common side effects of what most people would think are normal female hormones for a woman in their early thirties, however, a recent bout with COVID and a trip to the ER for pneumonia in late December brought all of this to our attention when a CT scan of the chest showed an unidentifiable mass in her left kidney area ….sending us into 2023 with a whirlwind of tests and procedures and many unknowns. On January 18th, Racheal was admitted to the oncology unit at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, MO where she is still currently recovering from 2 abdominal surgeries, the latest being to remove a 4 inch cancerous mass from her left ovary, an organ the adrenal cancer had metastasized to. Though this surgery alleviated a lot of pain and swelling and internal bleeding, it is only the beginning of a long road ahead. This has hit the family very abruptly and changed our lives drastically in such a short period of time.

Racheal is a state of Missouri employee with a great work family who has been very supportive of her through this endeavor. Though she is currently on FMLA to protect her job, unfortunately her paid time and sick time is quickly depleting. Her insurance will cover a lot but there will be many out of pocket expenses insurance will not cover entirely. Austin is working full time in Columbia and Hazelee is continuing to attend daycare so I can be available to take Racheal to necessary appointments and the upcoming chemo treatments that will begin in less than 2 weeks. With that, Racheal’s ability to return to work will be slim, putting financial strain on the family. We have already had an outpouring of prayers and support and sincerely appreciate every single one of them, so PLEASE, keeping it coming! We are leaning on every single prayer and support during these difficult times. Any donation is greatly appreciated. Funds will be used for assistance with monthly finances, as well as uninsured medical expenses and deductibles, daycare and everyday necessities for the family. We are still in very early stages of this process, so I will do my very best to update with any new information. Racheal is a very strong woman and we are 100% certain she will give this all she’s got! She’s a true warrior, a light to many and we are hopeful for her victory. After all, HOPE is her middle name!

Thank you for reading our story. Much love to all!

Tina

On behalf of Austin, Racheal & Hazelee Rachau

#hopeforrachealhope