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Hi, my name is Kelli. I sit here trying to find the right explanation to bring you as close to this journey as words can allow. Most of my attempts at beginning to write this story sound like I’m the drunk Maid of Honor at her sister’s wedding sobbing about how perfect her sister is and how she can’t find the words to tell how much she loves her. My sister’s name is Katie. She is my best friend. She’s younger than me, 3 years and 5 months actually, but I look up to her as if she were older. You see, Katie’s always done everything right. She follows the rules, is kind to everyone she meets, shows patience and gratitude to everyone. Katie has dedicated her life to others. In college Katie went on several mission trips after Katrina, once to New Orleans, twice to areas in Mississippi, and another with Habitat for Humanity in Texas. She has been working for non-profit organizations almost 10 years as a case manager, helping people who’ve lost their way in life or who weren’t fortunate to have someone take the time to show them the way. I can’t tell you the amount of times over the years that we will be out at the grocery store or shopping or wherever and we run into clients of hers. They always come running to say hi with huge smiles on their faces and you can feel their love and appreciation. Not one of them has yet to walk away without telling her where they are in life; always excited to update her on any new accomplishment and you get the feeling they are thanking her all over again in that way. It’s truly so beautiful.
I’m not telling you these things as accolades with the thought that she is more deserving of help than the next and you will want to immediately take our your credit card and pay her medical bills. I just want you to have a window into the amazing woman she is in hopes that you will see her heart as it is. Which is why it is so tough to watch her strong spirit get hit with this shit storm, pardon my language. I want you know that when I say she is kind, generous and would give you the shirt off her back, she actually would.
My beautiful sister, my angel, has cancer. It all started when she was only 16 years old, with constant and tremendous abdominal pain. She was diagnosed with Endometriosis and underwent several surgeries to address the scarring caused by the painful disease. She continued to struggle with the pain and discomfort for years, fast forward 14 years to be exact. In December of 2017 she experienced 2 months of heavy and constant bleeding that resulted in several visits to her gynecologist. From February 1st to February 16th, Katie had an ultrasound that confirmed her uterine lining was 3 times the normal thickness, which prompted a surgery that included a hysteroscopy, D & C (dilation and curettage), and a laparoscopy. This surgery was originally supposed to remove any found adhesions caused by the endometriosis. Then came the phone call that changed everything. 3 days after the initial surgery her doctor informed her that the pathology from the biopsied tissue confirmed she had cancer. Endometrioid Adenocarcinoma, grade 1 to be exact. For the rest of my life I will never forget the phone call I received from Katie while at work, the sound of her crying voice struggling to say that terrible C-word. By February 20th we had her first meeting with her Oncologist.
On March 1st we finally got some positive news, her MRI confirmed the cancer was contained to her uterine lining. The final test was only to confirm there was no genetic mutation causing her to develop this cancer at half the typical age of onset, this was merely a 5-10% chance and was very unlikely. Two week later she received a devastating phone call that she had a genetic mutation of the PMS2 gene which was categorized as Lynch Syndrome. This meant a definitive full hysterectomy and oophorectomy strongly recommended within the next 3-6 months to completely remove the cancer. The genetic mutation puts her at such a higher risk for developing this and other types of cancer, meaning it’s better to remove both her ovaries and her uterus than to take any risks of leaving them.
I want to make this clear - Katie and all who know and love her, we are all so very grateful that this is an extremely positive prognosis in the grand scheme of things. We are happy for her life. There is nothing that could replace having her in our lives every day. However, this is still taking away her lifelong dreams of carrying her own child as so many others are able to.
These dreams have now been replaced with discussions of egg preservation and surrogacy. The meeting with the fertility specialist was informative. She discussed everything involved in retrieval of the eggs and freezing them, including the cost. However, there is now an additional time frame to factor. The egg retrieval preparation takes 2 months and must be done before her surgery. However, egg preservation and all the tests it entails is expensive and considered “elective” or as we all know in the medical field translates to not covered by insurance.
There is no question that collecting and freezing her eggs is something that would 100% be scheduled already at this point if it weren’t for the tremendous expense and that it also has to be paid in full prior to treatment. It’s difficult enough having to make these impossible treatment decisions in such a short amount of time, now add the stress of possibly missing your one chance of your own biological child(ren) because of money? We cannot allow this short window of opportunity to be later filled with regret for not trying.
Katie’s medical expenses are already piling up. Her current out of pocket maximum is $6,500 but her portion totals $10,000 due to uncovered services and she has yet to have the final surgery. This does not include any of the fertility costs, as it’s all or nothing at this point. The consultation appointment with the fertility specialist alone was $400. Katie has applied for a possible Livestrong discount and is currently waiting to find out if she is approved. The discount would bring her portion from $9,500 down to $7,010 with an additional estimated surrogate cost of $12,500. These are the numbers we know of right now. As we’ve all experienced, I’m sure there are unknown expenses coming.
Thank you so much for reading this. We know in our hearts that Katie is going to be a great mom someday, no matter the path that takes her there. If we can help make it possible for her to have her own biological child, it would mean so much. Please share this story to anyone you think would be moved to help. Katie and our family appreciate any and all thoughts and prayers. Words are encouraging and powerful beyond measure and I can assure you will they mean the world to my sister. If there is any monetary donation you have to put forth, we would like to thank you in advance.
I’m not telling you these things as accolades with the thought that she is more deserving of help than the next and you will want to immediately take our your credit card and pay her medical bills. I just want you to have a window into the amazing woman she is in hopes that you will see her heart as it is. Which is why it is so tough to watch her strong spirit get hit with this shit storm, pardon my language. I want you know that when I say she is kind, generous and would give you the shirt off her back, she actually would.
My beautiful sister, my angel, has cancer. It all started when she was only 16 years old, with constant and tremendous abdominal pain. She was diagnosed with Endometriosis and underwent several surgeries to address the scarring caused by the painful disease. She continued to struggle with the pain and discomfort for years, fast forward 14 years to be exact. In December of 2017 she experienced 2 months of heavy and constant bleeding that resulted in several visits to her gynecologist. From February 1st to February 16th, Katie had an ultrasound that confirmed her uterine lining was 3 times the normal thickness, which prompted a surgery that included a hysteroscopy, D & C (dilation and curettage), and a laparoscopy. This surgery was originally supposed to remove any found adhesions caused by the endometriosis. Then came the phone call that changed everything. 3 days after the initial surgery her doctor informed her that the pathology from the biopsied tissue confirmed she had cancer. Endometrioid Adenocarcinoma, grade 1 to be exact. For the rest of my life I will never forget the phone call I received from Katie while at work, the sound of her crying voice struggling to say that terrible C-word. By February 20th we had her first meeting with her Oncologist.
On March 1st we finally got some positive news, her MRI confirmed the cancer was contained to her uterine lining. The final test was only to confirm there was no genetic mutation causing her to develop this cancer at half the typical age of onset, this was merely a 5-10% chance and was very unlikely. Two week later she received a devastating phone call that she had a genetic mutation of the PMS2 gene which was categorized as Lynch Syndrome. This meant a definitive full hysterectomy and oophorectomy strongly recommended within the next 3-6 months to completely remove the cancer. The genetic mutation puts her at such a higher risk for developing this and other types of cancer, meaning it’s better to remove both her ovaries and her uterus than to take any risks of leaving them.
I want to make this clear - Katie and all who know and love her, we are all so very grateful that this is an extremely positive prognosis in the grand scheme of things. We are happy for her life. There is nothing that could replace having her in our lives every day. However, this is still taking away her lifelong dreams of carrying her own child as so many others are able to.
These dreams have now been replaced with discussions of egg preservation and surrogacy. The meeting with the fertility specialist was informative. She discussed everything involved in retrieval of the eggs and freezing them, including the cost. However, there is now an additional time frame to factor. The egg retrieval preparation takes 2 months and must be done before her surgery. However, egg preservation and all the tests it entails is expensive and considered “elective” or as we all know in the medical field translates to not covered by insurance.
There is no question that collecting and freezing her eggs is something that would 100% be scheduled already at this point if it weren’t for the tremendous expense and that it also has to be paid in full prior to treatment. It’s difficult enough having to make these impossible treatment decisions in such a short amount of time, now add the stress of possibly missing your one chance of your own biological child(ren) because of money? We cannot allow this short window of opportunity to be later filled with regret for not trying.
Katie’s medical expenses are already piling up. Her current out of pocket maximum is $6,500 but her portion totals $10,000 due to uncovered services and she has yet to have the final surgery. This does not include any of the fertility costs, as it’s all or nothing at this point. The consultation appointment with the fertility specialist alone was $400. Katie has applied for a possible Livestrong discount and is currently waiting to find out if she is approved. The discount would bring her portion from $9,500 down to $7,010 with an additional estimated surrogate cost of $12,500. These are the numbers we know of right now. As we’ve all experienced, I’m sure there are unknown expenses coming.
Thank you so much for reading this. We know in our hearts that Katie is going to be a great mom someday, no matter the path that takes her there. If we can help make it possible for her to have her own biological child, it would mean so much. Please share this story to anyone you think would be moved to help. Katie and our family appreciate any and all thoughts and prayers. Words are encouraging and powerful beyond measure and I can assure you will they mean the world to my sister. If there is any monetary donation you have to put forth, we would like to thank you in advance.