Lei's Medical Expenses: Cancer Pre-Treatment

Hello Friends and Family!

A lot of you probably know our mom, Lei. If you don't know her, we'd be the first (but definitely not the last) to say how wonderful she is. Our mom has always carried a vibrant, joyful energy in everything she does- from simple things like listening to her favorite oldies while doing chores around the house; to each interaction she shares with her friends in the community. It's a rare occurrence to not see a smile on our moms face.. But in a recent turn of events, we've found it difficult to keep that same smile we love so much on Moms face, as well as the rest of ours.

On Monday, June 12 Mom took a tumble in the early hours of the morning getting ready for work. We received a distressed phone call from our Stepdad, Danny, at about 5a.m. informing us our mom needed to be taken to the hospital. Upon initial examination, doctors believed a low sodium reading could have been the cause of Mom getting light headed and passing out that morning, but within the next 18hrs we would be receiving the heaviest, most heart wrenching news our family could imagine.

By late Tuesday morning, after many tests and scans, the doctors at Henderson Hospital had answers. There was a growth found in Moms brain. We were informed at this same time that the growth was believed to have traveled from another part of her body- Cancer.

With that being determined, more testing was done to find out where in her body was the problem site. If we could uncover the root of the problem, we could tackle the brain growth after, or alongside the cancer origin site. But to our dismay, we were informed Mom had Stage 4 Lung Cancer.. and without treatment, such an agressive disease could take our Mom from us in 6 months time.

With heavy hearts we sat in the hospital with Mom for another 3 days before they wrapped up a few other tests, and got her ready and stable enough to be discharged. While it has been incredibly difficult for our family mentally and emotionally, we will not give anything less than everything we can to prolong Moms life, and improve her quality of life as best we can.

Unfortunately, we could have never expected this news- and in turn we were not prepared. Our mom did not (and currently does not) have insurance at the time of diagnosis. With a pre-existing condition, getting insurance now is kind of a stretch. So, we're working as hard and fast as we can to get Mom covered by Medicaid, in hopes that it will cover most of the medical expenses including visits to the oncologist, medications, and treatment. However, even that process can take a few weeks, and time is of the essence currently.

If you have ever had an interaction with our Mom, or if she's ever made you laugh, or even just lent an ear- you know how special her light is. If you feel inclined to make even a small donation, it would help us to cover any doctors visits, testing, medications, and any other medical needs before we have confirmed medical coverage. Prayers are free and we are always accepting as many of those as we can get as well. Thank you for taking the time to read our moms story, and please feel free to share.

Many Thanks,

Julie & Alisha