Helping a Friend in Need--Lorri Bottenfield
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Please consider helping this family, no amount is too small. Above all else, please pray for her and her family.
Lorri is not one to ask for help, but I know that any monetary help at all will be greatly appreciated and possibly help her to feel a little less stressed as she goes through this ordeal. She has always worked and now is facing not having an income.
Lorri Bottenfield has been fighting health issues for many years. It started about 20 years ago when she was diagnosed with Lupus, which caused kidney failure and the need for a kidney transplant; although she was blessed with a donor for the transplant, she has had to be on numerous anti-rejection medications to keep her kidney functioning. The normal time frame for a kidney transplant is 12 years, so she has been blessed with 20 years and counting.
Unfortunately, the years of high dose medication has weakened her immune system and Lorri has had to battle many health issues because of this.
In April of 2019 she noticed an abnormal spot on her ear and the doctor removed it and was optimistic that he had gotten it all; this spot was confirmed to be Squamous Cell Carcinoma (a form of skin cancer).
A few months later, she began noticing a lump on the side of her neck, at first the doctors felt it was a swollen lymph node or an infection and prescribed an antibiotic, but alas the lump continued to grow. She saw her dermatologist and due to Lorri’s history of skin cancer and many years of anti-rejection drugs, the doctor immediately sent her to an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist for a consultation and testing. In October Lorri was informed that the lump on her neck was actually cancer and it had spread into her lymph nodes and glands in her throat and she would need surgery. Because of the history of cancer occurring from the anti-rejection drugs plus the fact that her mother had lost a battle with throat cancer Lorri was informed she needed to be treated at Pittsburgh (which is nearly 3 hours away) surgery was needed to remove the cancerous lump and the surrounding glands and lymph nodes. While in surgery her surgeon found a spot on the back side of her tongue (which he biopsied at that time). She was hospitalized for 3 days and when she returned in 10 days for her post-op checkup, Lorri was informed the spot on her tongue was also cancer. This meant more surgery to remove that cancerous lump and she would need to have radiation treatments to remove any cells that may have been missed in surgery. Radiation treatments will be at least 5 days a week for 5 weeks, all surgeries and doctors have been in Pittsburgh so far, and with it being so far away she has asked if she could do her radiation closer to home, but alas that is not an option. Due to the fact that her history of health problems (including heart problems) that come from the anti-rejection drugs the doctors want to ensure that a transplant team of doctors are nearby in the event her donor kidney would fail. She can however go to Greensburg which is at least a little closer, but the expense of gas, turnpike tolls and traveling all the time is going to put a financial burden on her and her family.
Her husband, Pete and daughter Brittney, along with Jordan (grandson that Lorri and Pete have raised) are taking turns to take her to doctors and treatments. Lorri would like to try to continue to work, but it is unlikely she will be able to once her treatments start, not only because it will take at least 6 hours a day to travel to and from, plus the treatment time, or the fact that she will get extremely tired as the treatments progress, but that doesn’t leave a lot of hours left to work.
May God bless those that can give and those that pray and God Bless Everyone.
Lorri is not one to ask for help, but I know that any monetary help at all will be greatly appreciated and possibly help her to feel a little less stressed as she goes through this ordeal. She has always worked and now is facing not having an income.
Lorri Bottenfield has been fighting health issues for many years. It started about 20 years ago when she was diagnosed with Lupus, which caused kidney failure and the need for a kidney transplant; although she was blessed with a donor for the transplant, she has had to be on numerous anti-rejection medications to keep her kidney functioning. The normal time frame for a kidney transplant is 12 years, so she has been blessed with 20 years and counting.
Unfortunately, the years of high dose medication has weakened her immune system and Lorri has had to battle many health issues because of this.
In April of 2019 she noticed an abnormal spot on her ear and the doctor removed it and was optimistic that he had gotten it all; this spot was confirmed to be Squamous Cell Carcinoma (a form of skin cancer).
A few months later, she began noticing a lump on the side of her neck, at first the doctors felt it was a swollen lymph node or an infection and prescribed an antibiotic, but alas the lump continued to grow. She saw her dermatologist and due to Lorri’s history of skin cancer and many years of anti-rejection drugs, the doctor immediately sent her to an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist for a consultation and testing. In October Lorri was informed that the lump on her neck was actually cancer and it had spread into her lymph nodes and glands in her throat and she would need surgery. Because of the history of cancer occurring from the anti-rejection drugs plus the fact that her mother had lost a battle with throat cancer Lorri was informed she needed to be treated at Pittsburgh (which is nearly 3 hours away) surgery was needed to remove the cancerous lump and the surrounding glands and lymph nodes. While in surgery her surgeon found a spot on the back side of her tongue (which he biopsied at that time). She was hospitalized for 3 days and when she returned in 10 days for her post-op checkup, Lorri was informed the spot on her tongue was also cancer. This meant more surgery to remove that cancerous lump and she would need to have radiation treatments to remove any cells that may have been missed in surgery. Radiation treatments will be at least 5 days a week for 5 weeks, all surgeries and doctors have been in Pittsburgh so far, and with it being so far away she has asked if she could do her radiation closer to home, but alas that is not an option. Due to the fact that her history of health problems (including heart problems) that come from the anti-rejection drugs the doctors want to ensure that a transplant team of doctors are nearby in the event her donor kidney would fail. She can however go to Greensburg which is at least a little closer, but the expense of gas, turnpike tolls and traveling all the time is going to put a financial burden on her and her family.
Her husband, Pete and daughter Brittney, along with Jordan (grandson that Lorri and Pete have raised) are taking turns to take her to doctors and treatments. Lorri would like to try to continue to work, but it is unlikely she will be able to once her treatments start, not only because it will take at least 6 hours a day to travel to and from, plus the treatment time, or the fact that she will get extremely tired as the treatments progress, but that doesn’t leave a lot of hours left to work.
May God bless those that can give and those that pray and God Bless Everyone.
Organizer
Gena Foor Miller
Organizer
Everett, PA
