Hunting for Brandy's cure
Donation protected
My sweet friend Brandy has been diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Cancer.
In late July the doctors discovered a mass in Brandy’s small intestine after she developed a gastrointestinal blockage. After that she had multiple tests done including biopsies, endoscopic procedures, a MRI and a PET scan. She found out in August that the biopsy showed that the mass in her small intestine was a carcinoid tumor. The PET scan showed a tumor in her small intestine, two places on her liver and multiple spots on both breasts. On September 10th Brandy had a grueling surgery to remove her appendix, gallbladder, part of her colon and a lobe of her liver. She had so many holes in her body from the incisions, lines and drains that she joked that she thought she might leak when she drank! (Obviously they didn’t remove her sense of humor!) She was in the ICU for several days following this surgery. She followed up with the surgeon on September 21st and got more bad news. There were more tumors in her abdomen than they had known about prior to the surgery and 8 out of the 12 lymph nodes that they took during surgery were involved. She also had a mammogram and ultrasound to get a better look at those breast spots and on September 24th she had two breast biopsies. September 25th she received the news that the spots on her breasts are also carcinoid tumors. She is grateful for the care she received at Lewis Gale Medical Center during this time, but now she is seeking the expertise of a physician at UVA who specializes in her type of cancer. Her journey has already been tough and her battle is just beginning.
Brandy is 35 years old. As well as being a great friend, she is also a loving wife to her high school sweetheart Jason. They have been together for almost 20 years! They have 3 beautiful girls together, Jaycee (10), Jorgia (7) and Josie (1). She is also the devoted daughter of Eason and Karen Roberts. Her mother has kidney disease, so Brandy does what she can to help her parents. Her family has been through so much this year with the Death of her Brother, Bart, in February and her mother needing to start dialysis and being placed on the kidney transplant waiting list in July. As well as taking care of her family and friends, Brandy has cared for countless others in her career as a nurse. It is our turn to take care of her!
Brandy has always been a strong, independent, self-sufficient woman and I can tell you she really resisted “asking for help”. I told her she isn’t “asking” we are just giving! We will be using any funds raised to help with treatment costs, insurance co-pays, travel expenses, and to help supplement the loss of income.
Brandy has a quote that she is holding close to her heart at this time that I would like to share with you:
“One day you will tell your story of how you’ve overcome what you’re going through now, and it will become part of someone else’s survival guide.”
In late July the doctors discovered a mass in Brandy’s small intestine after she developed a gastrointestinal blockage. After that she had multiple tests done including biopsies, endoscopic procedures, a MRI and a PET scan. She found out in August that the biopsy showed that the mass in her small intestine was a carcinoid tumor. The PET scan showed a tumor in her small intestine, two places on her liver and multiple spots on both breasts. On September 10th Brandy had a grueling surgery to remove her appendix, gallbladder, part of her colon and a lobe of her liver. She had so many holes in her body from the incisions, lines and drains that she joked that she thought she might leak when she drank! (Obviously they didn’t remove her sense of humor!) She was in the ICU for several days following this surgery. She followed up with the surgeon on September 21st and got more bad news. There were more tumors in her abdomen than they had known about prior to the surgery and 8 out of the 12 lymph nodes that they took during surgery were involved. She also had a mammogram and ultrasound to get a better look at those breast spots and on September 24th she had two breast biopsies. September 25th she received the news that the spots on her breasts are also carcinoid tumors. She is grateful for the care she received at Lewis Gale Medical Center during this time, but now she is seeking the expertise of a physician at UVA who specializes in her type of cancer. Her journey has already been tough and her battle is just beginning.
Brandy is 35 years old. As well as being a great friend, she is also a loving wife to her high school sweetheart Jason. They have been together for almost 20 years! They have 3 beautiful girls together, Jaycee (10), Jorgia (7) and Josie (1). She is also the devoted daughter of Eason and Karen Roberts. Her mother has kidney disease, so Brandy does what she can to help her parents. Her family has been through so much this year with the Death of her Brother, Bart, in February and her mother needing to start dialysis and being placed on the kidney transplant waiting list in July. As well as taking care of her family and friends, Brandy has cared for countless others in her career as a nurse. It is our turn to take care of her!
Brandy has always been a strong, independent, self-sufficient woman and I can tell you she really resisted “asking for help”. I told her she isn’t “asking” we are just giving! We will be using any funds raised to help with treatment costs, insurance co-pays, travel expenses, and to help supplement the loss of income.
Brandy has a quote that she is holding close to her heart at this time that I would like to share with you:
“One day you will tell your story of how you’ve overcome what you’re going through now, and it will become part of someone else’s survival guide.”
Organizer and beneficiary
Sara Staton
Organizer
Buena Vista, VA
Brandy Hostetter
Beneficiary
