Laura Murawski
Donation protected
The year of 2015 started out perfect for Laura. In February she married her best friend, Robert Murawski, and they began a life of happiness. By mid-summer Laura noticed swollen lymph nodes on the right side of her neck. She saw her Primary Care since she also had a fever. She was given an antibiotic and referred to her dentist to have wisdom teeth extracted on that side. Laura had the dental work & things were looking better, although the swollen lymph nodes never completely went away. In Early September, Laura decided that enough time had passed and that if the lymph nodes were caused by the tooth infection, they would be gone by now. She returned to her Primary Care who ordered an ultrasound and biopsy. At this point it was just more for precaution and peace of mind.
What came next was more than anyone imagined. The results revealed it to be squamous cell carcinoma. A CT scan revealed Laura had a mass in her throat resting on her vocal chords. That primary tumor metastasized to two lymph nodes, which is diagnosed as Stage IV throat cancer. Due to its location, the doctors could not surgically remove the primary tumor without also removing her vocal chords. Laura began the recommended protocol of radiation and chemotherapy. After going through that regimen, she lost the ability to swallow food. Having a feeding tube surgically placed directly to her stomach became a necessity. By the end of 2015 treatment was over and in March of this year the scans showed she was cancer free.
She continued having scans every few months to ensure the cancer was still in remission. Her life was back to normal, until a scan in August showed cancer returned to a lymph node. This time her doctors were able to surgically remove the cancerous mass in her neck, which included her jugular vein and a large amount of scar tissue. The cancer having been in her lymph system raised concern about it spreading to another site, yet her doctors were not comfortable putting her body through more chemotherapy and radiation. Being the fighter that she is, Laura looked for other options. With the help of a friend, Laura found the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC). It has a nationally recognized program for treating head and neck cancer. Laura went to see their team of Oncologists and, as a group, they shared concern of the cancer spreading. UCMC has the proper technology and knowledge to safely treat her with additional chemotherapy and radiation. This round of treatment has already proven to be more taxing than last year's. It is an eight week treatment regimen in which for she is admitted to an inpatient unit at the UCMC for TWICE a day radiation and three different types of chemotherapy, one of which is daily 24 hour infusion. She is admitted on a Sunday morning and discharged Friday evenings. She then returns home for and eight day break then repeats the cycle. Her last week of treatment will begin on Christmas Day. After just her first week of treatment, Laura failed her swallow study and had to undergo an emergency surgery to have another feeding tube inserted.
Laura needs your help. It took a lot of convincing to get her to let me make this page. She is unable to work during this treatment. Although insurance is helping cover the medical expenses, bills have already begun piling up. Without working, her inability to makes ends meet will continue to grow. NO ONE should ever have to go through this in life . . .especially for the second time at the age of 36. She is smart, determined, and one of the most caring and giving people I know. She would help anyone going through what she is, and that is why I feel so strongly about asking others to please help and donate to Laura at this time.
What came next was more than anyone imagined. The results revealed it to be squamous cell carcinoma. A CT scan revealed Laura had a mass in her throat resting on her vocal chords. That primary tumor metastasized to two lymph nodes, which is diagnosed as Stage IV throat cancer. Due to its location, the doctors could not surgically remove the primary tumor without also removing her vocal chords. Laura began the recommended protocol of radiation and chemotherapy. After going through that regimen, she lost the ability to swallow food. Having a feeding tube surgically placed directly to her stomach became a necessity. By the end of 2015 treatment was over and in March of this year the scans showed she was cancer free.
She continued having scans every few months to ensure the cancer was still in remission. Her life was back to normal, until a scan in August showed cancer returned to a lymph node. This time her doctors were able to surgically remove the cancerous mass in her neck, which included her jugular vein and a large amount of scar tissue. The cancer having been in her lymph system raised concern about it spreading to another site, yet her doctors were not comfortable putting her body through more chemotherapy and radiation. Being the fighter that she is, Laura looked for other options. With the help of a friend, Laura found the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC). It has a nationally recognized program for treating head and neck cancer. Laura went to see their team of Oncologists and, as a group, they shared concern of the cancer spreading. UCMC has the proper technology and knowledge to safely treat her with additional chemotherapy and radiation. This round of treatment has already proven to be more taxing than last year's. It is an eight week treatment regimen in which for she is admitted to an inpatient unit at the UCMC for TWICE a day radiation and three different types of chemotherapy, one of which is daily 24 hour infusion. She is admitted on a Sunday morning and discharged Friday evenings. She then returns home for and eight day break then repeats the cycle. Her last week of treatment will begin on Christmas Day. After just her first week of treatment, Laura failed her swallow study and had to undergo an emergency surgery to have another feeding tube inserted.
Laura needs your help. It took a lot of convincing to get her to let me make this page. She is unable to work during this treatment. Although insurance is helping cover the medical expenses, bills have already begun piling up. Without working, her inability to makes ends meet will continue to grow. NO ONE should ever have to go through this in life . . .especially for the second time at the age of 36. She is smart, determined, and one of the most caring and giving people I know. She would help anyone going through what she is, and that is why I feel so strongly about asking others to please help and donate to Laura at this time.
Organizer
Lizzie Palazzolo
Organizer
Springfield, IL