Mara's Medical Expenses
Don protégé
Mara Padilla, one of CCA's beloved projectionists and box office staff members, is undergoing one final, hopeful treatment to put her Synovial Sarcoma in remission.
On the evening of Wednesday, December 18 at The Screen, join us for a community-cooked dinner ($15 per plate) and a show featuring live music, storytelling and short videos (suggested donation $5). The entirety of the proceeds and donations collected at this event will coincide with our GoFundMe campaign for Mara, aiding her ongoing treatment and travel expenses.
Mara's vibrant, creative nature is invaluable to CCA and the community we serve. Her incredible spirit and admirable strength inspires us all.
Please take a moment to read her story, and give what you can to the Mara Fund.
"When I was 9 I experienced abnormal pain within my left palm that went untreated and misdiagnosed until I was 20 years old. After a small operation to remove what they thought was a bone spur on my nerve, turned out to be Synovial Sarcoma. Synovial Sarcoma is one of the rarest cancers you can get. It often affects children, and is quite resistant to most therapies.
Between 2015-2017 I underwent three amputation surgeries to stop the cancer from growing. Unfortunately, it kept relapsing. It was decided in late 2017 that I would go to the MD Anderson Radiation Treatment Center to receive seven months of chemotherapy, followed by a final amputation to my left shoulder.
I was in remission for a year. In 2019, I found that it spread to my left lung. This raised concern for my actual life expectancy. When this cancer spreads to organs, patients are usually given five to ten years to live.
My doctor at MD Anderson, as a final hope to officially put my cancer in remission, immediately signed me up for a clinical trial involving T-Cell therapy. T-cell therapy is quite new and hopeful within the medical science world as it has cured blood cancer patients in the past. I'm very lucky to be receiving this trial. My doctors are quite happy I'm doing it.
The clinical trial is a one-hour infusion of the drug at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas once a week. While I'm fortunate to have good insurance, the travel adds up for me and my mom.
Unfortunately, my mental health has taken a toll with this recent relapse. Hope is a hard thing for me to grab these days. While treatments are manageable and prolong life, I refuse to die in a hospital, or die by chemo or radiation."
Mara Padilla is 24 years old, a graphic novelist and illustrator who enjoys film, cooking, painting, hiking in the Santa Fe mountains and going on long strolls. She moved to Santa Fe in 2014 and has been a part of the CCA family since end of 2018. The fundraising event occurs at The Screen, 1600 St. Michael's Dr., from 7-9pm, and will include festive music, short films, and a selection of auction items.
On the evening of Wednesday, December 18 at The Screen, join us for a community-cooked dinner ($15 per plate) and a show featuring live music, storytelling and short videos (suggested donation $5). The entirety of the proceeds and donations collected at this event will coincide with our GoFundMe campaign for Mara, aiding her ongoing treatment and travel expenses.
Mara's vibrant, creative nature is invaluable to CCA and the community we serve. Her incredible spirit and admirable strength inspires us all.
Please take a moment to read her story, and give what you can to the Mara Fund.
"When I was 9 I experienced abnormal pain within my left palm that went untreated and misdiagnosed until I was 20 years old. After a small operation to remove what they thought was a bone spur on my nerve, turned out to be Synovial Sarcoma. Synovial Sarcoma is one of the rarest cancers you can get. It often affects children, and is quite resistant to most therapies.
Between 2015-2017 I underwent three amputation surgeries to stop the cancer from growing. Unfortunately, it kept relapsing. It was decided in late 2017 that I would go to the MD Anderson Radiation Treatment Center to receive seven months of chemotherapy, followed by a final amputation to my left shoulder.
I was in remission for a year. In 2019, I found that it spread to my left lung. This raised concern for my actual life expectancy. When this cancer spreads to organs, patients are usually given five to ten years to live.
My doctor at MD Anderson, as a final hope to officially put my cancer in remission, immediately signed me up for a clinical trial involving T-Cell therapy. T-cell therapy is quite new and hopeful within the medical science world as it has cured blood cancer patients in the past. I'm very lucky to be receiving this trial. My doctors are quite happy I'm doing it.
The clinical trial is a one-hour infusion of the drug at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas once a week. While I'm fortunate to have good insurance, the travel adds up for me and my mom.
Unfortunately, my mental health has taken a toll with this recent relapse. Hope is a hard thing for me to grab these days. While treatments are manageable and prolong life, I refuse to die in a hospital, or die by chemo or radiation."
Mara Padilla is 24 years old, a graphic novelist and illustrator who enjoys film, cooking, painting, hiking in the Santa Fe mountains and going on long strolls. She moved to Santa Fe in 2014 and has been a part of the CCA family since end of 2018. The fundraising event occurs at The Screen, 1600 St. Michael's Dr., from 7-9pm, and will include festive music, short films, and a selection of auction items.
Coorganisateurs (4)
Hannah Hausman
Organisateur
Santa Fe, NM
Mara Padilla
Bénéficiaire
Chelsea Darter
Coorganisateur
JC Gonzo
Coorganisateur
Amara Nash
Coorganisateur