Mama Lene's Cancer Journey

Hello friends, my name is Stephanie Ciceri. I'm a recent grad from UCLA, and am in dire need of any and all help that I can receive from family, friends, and all of the kind strangers that choose to read and support my mother’s story.

 

Roughly 2 weeks ago, I found out my wonderful 53-year-old (that’s young!) mother, Lene, had a tumor that was infiltrating her colon. After some tests, we also found out that this tumor was cancerous. It was a shock to all of us and something our family never thought we'd have to deal with. I mean, cancer doesn't run in our family, so why worry?

 

Despite this diagnosis, my mother has been SO STRONG. She found out about her condition while living in Brazil and somehow managed to make her way back to the U.S. a couple of days later for a consultation with a doctor, and to see me graduate. Unfortunately, she was not able to see me receive my diploma. BUT, fortunately, she was able to get surgery within 3 days of being back in the U.S. You will not believe this, but her surgeon removed a tumor the size of a football! A FOOTBALL I TELL YOU!!!

 

Before the surgery, neither her oncologist nor her surgeon could comprehend how a tumor of this size could grow so quickly in my poor mother's body. None of us understood. Just this past November, my mom had an ultrasound done on her stomach and there was nothing out of the ordinary. It's weird how cancer works; we're learning something new about this disease every day. After the surgery, the doctors spoke to my mom in pure amazement because this tumor had fully infiltrated her colon and, with her condition, there was absolutely no way she could have flown 15 hours just a few days prior. Her will to live and determination is what got her through and what continue to keep her going. I remember FaceTiming my mom while she was traveling and her telling me that her stomach was bothering her a little, but that she felt fine and was so excited to be home. I don't know how she does it, honestly.

 

With high hopes, the entirety of last week we were awaiting a call from her surgeon to see if any lab results had become available. Thursday is when we got the call. Along with the tumor, there were also some enlarged lymph nodes the surgeon removed to get tested. So colon cancer is not what my mom has. My mother has been diagnosed with high-grade b-cell lymphoma -- essentially, cancer of the immune system. And it’s really aggressive.

 

Treatment options are plentiful (which is great!), and the survival rate is pretty high (which is also great!). However, everything that my mom has undergone and will undergo as a result of this diagnosis is not entirely covered by our insurance. Actually, our insurance only covers a little chunk of treatment. For most things, my mom will have to pay out-of-pocket (which is not cheap). In addition, my mom recently got divorced from my dad and, as a result, has no money in her name, no credit, no anything. And if we want to give her the best treatment possible with the best doctors and all of the support necessary, we need to have some financial means.

 

For those who know my mom, you know how giving she is. You know that will she do whatever is absolutely necessary to ensure that you as an individual are happy and taken care of. As an immigrant from Brazil, my mother has spent basically the entirety of her adult life providing for our family in Brazil. She is our rock, and now it’s time we be her rock. I know money is scarce and I don’t want you to give anything if you are unable to (emotional support is always welcome hehe), but if you can donate—anything and everything is appreciated. Whether it be $1 or $50 or even $1,000 (if you’re willing), anything will help us in the long run. I want to do what I can to support my mom and this is one of those things I never thought I’d have to do but am doing it because of the urgency of this situation. If you’ve read thus far, thank you. I appreciate you more than you know. Life is tough and we are presented with so many obstacles sometimes, but they only help us to grow and to learn and to appreciate those we love the most. I’ll be using this platform to keep everyone updated on Mama Lene’s condition and how her treatment is going. We are all optimistic! Anyways, hug all of your loved ones today for me, and keep my mama in your thoughts.

 

Now, LET’S RAISE SOME MONEY!!!! #GoMamaLene