Lorie’s Stage 4 Melanoma Cancer battle continues
Donation protected
Hello! This is Lorie. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Melanoma skin cancer.
Unfortunately, this time the battle is harder. The latest scans revealed a tumor in her lung. This news comes after 2 surgeries within a month to remove a tumor from her lower neck/shoulder area in June/July of 2023.
This is her third fight against this serious cancer-now stage 4.
She was first diagnosed in 2017 at stage 3 after a spot on her leg was removed. It came back in her upper thigh after a year of treatment - 26 infusions. In the spring of 2019, she did a second year of treatment - 13 infusions.
The immunotherapy treatment was successful and she felt healed and strong.
The experience led her to start a successful podcast to empower and inspire those who are facing a traumatic and devastating diagnosis or life challenge. It gave her focus and purpose to her pain. She even became certified as a mindfulness teacher to learn how to help herself through these tough times and then to teach others.
Her scans stayed clear until March of 2023. This new diagnosis hit her harder than she expected. Surgery is not an option. Now she is waiting to start treatment again…a more powerful (and toxic) drug to beat this. She knows this fight is far from over. “I don’t know how long I will have to take it and we will make decisions as I move through this expensive medical care that I desperately need”.
Your donation will help to cover her financial obligations: hospital expenses, cancer treatment, travel expenses to the cancer center (340 miles each trip, plus hotels and food) as well as any additional wellness costs.
With her medical bills exceeding $600,000 for her care to this point, even health insurance doesn't cover the high deductible and a number of additional costs that are a financial strain year after year. Until you need to use it, you don't realize the amount of money that is still a patient's responsibility.
With all these expenses quickly adding up, any donation (even in the smallest amount) would help tremendously.
Thank you again for your support!
“I am grateful for your unwavering love and support as I navigate these uncertain times. With lots of prayers and support I will get through this fight. I want to continue to uplift and support others. To be an anchor to others through the storms of life.
If you’ve received education, inspiration, or comfort from any of the Sailing Through Life Podcast episodes, I humbly invite you to donate. This podcast has been my labor of love to all of us here in this beautiful skin cancer community. I wrote, recorded, and hosted over 130 episodes, including a 4 month skin cancer series from April -July of 2023. May these special episodes continue to serve as a reminder for many years to come that you’re not alone. I’m here and I love you.”
If you are able, please re-share on social media to spread the word.
Melanoma Cancer Facts from SkinCancerOrg
- The number of melanoma deaths is expected to increase by 4.4 percent in 2023.
- An estimated 186,680 cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2023. Of those, 89,070 cases will be in situ (noninvasive), confined to the epidermis (the top layer of skin), and 97,610 cases will be invasive, penetrating the epidermis into the skin’s second layer (the dermis). Of the invasive cases, 58,120 will be men and 39,490 will be women.
- In the past decade (2013 – 2023), the number of new invasive melanoma cases diagnosed annually increased by 27 percent.
- An estimated 7,990 people will die of melanoma in 2023.
Organizer
Lorie Tesny
Organizer
Jensen Beach, FL