Paula's Medical Fund
Donation protected
"Love goes here"
Many of you already know Paula as the warm, hysterically funny, compassionate and strong woman she is. She has gone through so much hardship in her life with humor and grace. Here is a bit of her story in her own words:
Hi Guys. This is Paula. The name probably doesn’t mean much, but when you add the “Ershler Hogan”, BAM, you know me. As you know, I’ve had a ton of huge boulders put in front of me since a very early age, creating a very dark shadow over me. It took me until I was 35 to finally figure out a way through. But despite those obstacles, I was so fortunate to receive two of the most precious gifts. My husband Dennis gave me 25 years of his life before being dragged away, kicking and screaming, by pancreatic cancer. I always assumed I’d spend the rest of my life with him; turns out, I only got to spend the rest of his life with him. I thought at the time, well, I can handle anything now. Nothing could be harder than that. Well, as I always say:
Man plans.
God laughs.
And my second gift was a pure Miracle named Madison Laura. None of this could have been accomplished without her undying love and commitment to keeping her mom alive. I wanted to put her up for Canonization followed by Sainthood. But until the Jewish people decide that, “hey, that’s a pretty good reward,” I’ll just have to bask in her love, her compassion, her beauty and her gentle good humor. Without her, I would not be writing this message. Thank you for my life, Sweet Madison.
In early 2015 I was told there was a large mass on my lung; probably cancer. (Gee, 45 years of smoking…how did I not see THAT coming?) But in the summer of ’15 I was given a clean bill of health; yet they still didn’t know what the mass was. I told them it was probably a HUGE wad of gum, so they should seek out the best Wadagumologist and just pluck that thing out. I don’t think they took me very seriously.
Well, finally in early December I’d had enough of all the “bullying” I was getting to “get your butt to Boston.” So, off to Beantown Madison and I went to have the Director of Thoracic Surgery at Mass General perform a procedure that would tell me one way or the other. While in recovery, the Doctor told my daughter, “Your Mom has lung cancer.” Well, we scuttled our butts back to the Cape and began heavy chemo and radiation. By April of 2016, I was given a REAL clean bill of health. The cancer was gone. I had four glorious months to bask in the glow of life. And then the other shoe dropped. My doctor ordered an MRI of just my brain, another MRI at another facility and then a full body PET scan. This time I wasn’t so lucky. The cancer had gone to my brain. And NOBODY was using the word “cure” anymore. Not anticipating another invasion of cancer, I used most of my savings to pay my bills each month, including the medical bills that were coming in. “Cancer ain’t cheap!!!” So, now I find myself in that same position I was in, in April of ’15. Except this time I was told I could no longer drive or work. Not much to do when you live alone; except maybe trying to get your brain to stop “what if-ing,” about my future. So my hope is to keep living until forever. But this time there is no “exit strategy” and I can’t do this alone. Maybe some of you would like to walk beside me and help me in this journey, however long it may be. Even if you can only give your unconditional love, that’s okay with me. I love you all and thank you for being with me all these years. All my love goes here, Paula beth.
We want Paula to focus on her treatment and healing. The last thing she needs is the added stress and worry of wondering if she can pay for her medical bills and living expenses.
This is where we all come in. We can at least help ease her burden somewhat by donating what we can to help her financially. So please help spread the word of this campaign and donate what you’re able. Your generosity will be so appreciated and can mean one less worry for Paula.
Thank you all so much. We will keep you updated on her progress.
And as Paula ALWAYS ends her emails:
Love goes here.
Many of you already know Paula as the warm, hysterically funny, compassionate and strong woman she is. She has gone through so much hardship in her life with humor and grace. Here is a bit of her story in her own words:
Hi Guys. This is Paula. The name probably doesn’t mean much, but when you add the “Ershler Hogan”, BAM, you know me. As you know, I’ve had a ton of huge boulders put in front of me since a very early age, creating a very dark shadow over me. It took me until I was 35 to finally figure out a way through. But despite those obstacles, I was so fortunate to receive two of the most precious gifts. My husband Dennis gave me 25 years of his life before being dragged away, kicking and screaming, by pancreatic cancer. I always assumed I’d spend the rest of my life with him; turns out, I only got to spend the rest of his life with him. I thought at the time, well, I can handle anything now. Nothing could be harder than that. Well, as I always say:
Man plans.
God laughs.
And my second gift was a pure Miracle named Madison Laura. None of this could have been accomplished without her undying love and commitment to keeping her mom alive. I wanted to put her up for Canonization followed by Sainthood. But until the Jewish people decide that, “hey, that’s a pretty good reward,” I’ll just have to bask in her love, her compassion, her beauty and her gentle good humor. Without her, I would not be writing this message. Thank you for my life, Sweet Madison.
In early 2015 I was told there was a large mass on my lung; probably cancer. (Gee, 45 years of smoking…how did I not see THAT coming?) But in the summer of ’15 I was given a clean bill of health; yet they still didn’t know what the mass was. I told them it was probably a HUGE wad of gum, so they should seek out the best Wadagumologist and just pluck that thing out. I don’t think they took me very seriously.
Well, finally in early December I’d had enough of all the “bullying” I was getting to “get your butt to Boston.” So, off to Beantown Madison and I went to have the Director of Thoracic Surgery at Mass General perform a procedure that would tell me one way or the other. While in recovery, the Doctor told my daughter, “Your Mom has lung cancer.” Well, we scuttled our butts back to the Cape and began heavy chemo and radiation. By April of 2016, I was given a REAL clean bill of health. The cancer was gone. I had four glorious months to bask in the glow of life. And then the other shoe dropped. My doctor ordered an MRI of just my brain, another MRI at another facility and then a full body PET scan. This time I wasn’t so lucky. The cancer had gone to my brain. And NOBODY was using the word “cure” anymore. Not anticipating another invasion of cancer, I used most of my savings to pay my bills each month, including the medical bills that were coming in. “Cancer ain’t cheap!!!” So, now I find myself in that same position I was in, in April of ’15. Except this time I was told I could no longer drive or work. Not much to do when you live alone; except maybe trying to get your brain to stop “what if-ing,” about my future. So my hope is to keep living until forever. But this time there is no “exit strategy” and I can’t do this alone. Maybe some of you would like to walk beside me and help me in this journey, however long it may be. Even if you can only give your unconditional love, that’s okay with me. I love you all and thank you for being with me all these years. All my love goes here, Paula beth.
We want Paula to focus on her treatment and healing. The last thing she needs is the added stress and worry of wondering if she can pay for her medical bills and living expenses.
This is where we all come in. We can at least help ease her burden somewhat by donating what we can to help her financially. So please help spread the word of this campaign and donate what you’re able. Your generosity will be so appreciated and can mean one less worry for Paula.
Thank you all so much. We will keep you updated on her progress.
And as Paula ALWAYS ends her emails:
Love goes here.
Organizer and beneficiary
Wood Thrush
Organizer
Meriden, CT
Paula Hogan
Beneficiary