Helping Hands Help Patti Skilinski

In March, 2016,  Patti Skilinski, WWHS c/o '88, developed an unusually rare type of cancer in her foot. She was treated at UAB and, in April of 2016,  doctors surgically removed "most" of the tumor. By July of the same year, the tumor had already reappeared, doubled in size, and had begun wrapping itself (very painfully) around her foot. In early September, doctors amputated part of her foot; however, the night before her surgery, a nodule was found behind her knee, so the doctors removed that, too. 

By October of 2016, Patti was receiving radiation therapy at the Cancer Treatment Center of America outside of Atlanta, GA.  However, more nodules were found in both lungs as well as her groin. Since the cancer was a rare cancer (fewer than 100 cases diagnosed in the US), there was not a definitive treatment for it. As such, the doctors had to try a different form of treatment, an experimental treatment, in the hopes that it would help kill the cancerous cells.  

If you know anybody who has ever been treated for cancer, then you know that it's not the cancer itself that causes the most problems; it's the treatment.  Chemotherapeutic agents are designed to kill cells---which means they kill healthy cells as well, leading to a host of OTHER illnesses. In Patti's case, the chemotherapy agent has affected her kidneys, putting her in acute kidney failure. Since her kidneys aren't functioning properly, it's led to a chronic pericardial effusion (fluid around her heart), which is dangerous and potentially deadly. Also, she's had multiple pleural effusions (fluid around her lungs) that the doctors have been constantly draining.  Because of these (and other) problems, Patti was admitted to the Cancer Treatment Center of America, Georgia, on April 13 for treatment.  
However, late last night, Patti was transferred from CTCAG to Emory University Hospital, where she is now in the ICU. Her daughter, Rikki, her mom, her sisters, and her life partner, John McNair, have been spending their days and nights with her. 

I created this fund so that we, all of the people who love Patti and Rikki, can rally together and help them with medical, travel, hotel, food, and other expenses resulting from Patti's lengthy hospitalization. I know that money does NOT solve problems and it won't cure Patti, but it can certainly help ease the financial burden of both her and her loved ones.

I don't know her specific prognosis, but it does not look promising. For those of you who pray, pray hard, For those of you who don't pray, pray hard and let's hope against hope that a miracle will occur and Patti will be healed.  

Thank you in advance to everybody who plans on pitching in and helping this precious girl.