Love for Lorin

Dear friends and family,

Many of you have been following Lorin’s journey with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) since January 1 of this year. As the community continues to ask how they can best support Lorin and her family, we wanted to provide an easy way for you to do so.

If you’re jumping into the story mid-journey, here’s a synopsis of the first few chapters and an update on what’s to come. If you’re a regular subscriber, we thank you for your love and support thus far.

Towards the end of last year, Lorin started experiencing some health issues that lasted longer than normal. Initially, she was told that it was just some skin irritation and a cold. Lorin knew in her heart this wasn’t right and how she was feeling wasn’t normal. We are all grateful that she’s such a persistent little thing and advocated for her own care. On New Year’s Eve, Lorin had bloodwork done. When her doctor read the bloodwork on New Year’s Day, Lorin was sent to the ER. From there, she was transported immediately to WVU’s Ruby Memorial Hospital and was diagnosed with AML. Over her 36-day stay there, she completed multiple rounds of chemotherapy. For the last two and a half months, Lorin has been at home with her girls continuing regular chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments while being closely monitored by her care team. As you can imagine, Lorin and her family have learned so much about AML, including how a stem cell transplant gives Lorin the best potential outcome for a cure. Since then, Lorin, her family, and our amazing community remained prayerful that a donor would step forward for her. Those prayers have been answered. Not only does Lorin have a donor, she has a donor who is a perfect match for her and is willing to share the gift of life with her. Thanks be to God!

Yesterday, (May 8th), Lorin began the next chapter in her journey to being cured. The upcoming 108 days will be incredibly challenging for Lorin and her caretakers. Lorin will undergo the most intensive chemotherapy she’s received to date. After what we hope will be the final chemotherapy treatment, Lorin will receive her stem cell transplant. For the first several weeks, Lorin will remain in-patient at Ruby Memorial where her care team will monitor her and proactively treat any disease and infection that would prevent successful grafting of the donor stem cells. If the graft is successful and Lorin’s bloodwork and counts are high enough, she will transition to outpatient care. Lorin will need to remain within 20 minutes of Ruby Memorial during this time. This outpatient care will last at least a couple of months and is dependent on how well her body continues responding to the donor stem cells. This time will be tedious as Lorin will be highly susceptible to sickness and infection. Her diet, activities, and visitors will be restricted. Though this process is daunting, Lorin and her family are filled with hope and faith that this will be the step that leads to her full recovery and remission!

Since the battle began on January 1st, Lorin has been unable to work, placing a significant financial burden on her and her girls. Lorin’s insurance has been a blessing and will likely cover most of the transplant costs. However, there are still lots of unknowns in her treatment plan and recovery. Additionally, there are many other expenses that Lorin and her caretakers (Becca and MaryJane) will encounter including regular travel to and from Morgantown, travel for Becca from her home in Myrtle Beach to WV, specialized dietary needs for Lorin, lodging for her caretakers and for Lorin during her outpatient stay in Morgantown, and normal daily expenses for the girls while they're with Becca and MaryJane.

Lorin and her family are grateful for the outpouring of love they continue to receive. If you feel led to contribute to Lorin’s care during this time, it will mean the world to her and her girls! Your generosity will not only alleviate some of the financial strain but also remind Lorin of the incredible community surrounding them. Lorin has always been a caretaker and mom to those around her, so it’s humbling for her to be on the receiving end of so much kindness and generosity.

Thank you for your prayers and support! We trust in God’s plan and know that with your kindness and love, we will help Lorin through this journey. She cherishes each of you and continues placing her absolute trust in God’s grace, timing, and will.