Marrow For Margie
Donation protected
The week of Mother's Day 2016, my Mom wasn't feeling well (abdominal pains). She thought it was just a urinary tract infection (UTI) and began taking medicine for that. After starting the medicine for a UTI and things getting worse, she went to get checked out at a local clinic. Her blood work results were not normal, so they immediately sent her to the ER.
Mothers Day weekend, the hospital ran more tests and determined that she had diverticulitis (an infection of the colon) and not a UTI. The hospital did more tests and diagnosed her with MDS (Pre-leukemia). After a week-long stay in the hospital to recover from her diverticulitis, she then was referred to Emory in Atlanta, one of the most respected cancer treatment centers in the world.
Two weeks later, the Oncologist at Emory came in to talk to us and said that their blood work analysis revealed that she actually has AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia), a very aggressive blood cancer. My mom had blood work done in January 2015 and there were no known issues then, which speaks to how quickly AML can impact the body.
The Oncologist at Emory then said that my mom needs induction chemotherapy and will receive the most aggressive form of chemotherapy to try to get her AML into remission. This chemotherapy will require an in-hospital stay for a minimum of 30 days.
Once her cancer is in remission, she will then be prepped for a bone marrow transplant. Hopefully, her siblings will match as a first option; if not, Emory will then check the bone marrow donor registry for possible donor matches.
In order for Emory to do the bone marrow transplant, they will require my Mom to live within 15-30 minutes of the hospital (for emergency reasons) and have a caretaker there with her during and after the transplant for 2-3 months to make sure the transplant takes and there are no issues between the donor and my Mom.
This is not only a complicated journey, but also a costly one, even with my Mom's private health insurance through her employer. The expenses will add up from trips to and from Emory, induction chemotherapy hospital stay, bone marrow transplant, expensive medicines after the transplant, and lodging expenses in Atlanta, just to name a few.
My Mom needs to focus and concentrate on getting well. We are all behind her in every way. She asked for positive thoughts and prayers while she fights to overcome this.
She is a great Mom, awesome Grandma, loving Sister, loyal Wife and a good friend to a lot of people. No donation is too small. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for anything you can donate.
If you wish to donate to her, please do on this page only. We will also have fundraisers around Middle Georgia to raise awareness and support for my mom. "Marrow for Margie" is the name of her cause...
We will also have bone marrow donor fundraising drives. It only takes a mouth swab of your cheek to potentially save a life. We will post info regarding these other fundraisers as soon as we have the dates and locations.
Thank you for taking the time to read my Mom's story and for any and all support. Bless each and every one of you.
Mothers Day weekend, the hospital ran more tests and determined that she had diverticulitis (an infection of the colon) and not a UTI. The hospital did more tests and diagnosed her with MDS (Pre-leukemia). After a week-long stay in the hospital to recover from her diverticulitis, she then was referred to Emory in Atlanta, one of the most respected cancer treatment centers in the world.
Two weeks later, the Oncologist at Emory came in to talk to us and said that their blood work analysis revealed that she actually has AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia), a very aggressive blood cancer. My mom had blood work done in January 2015 and there were no known issues then, which speaks to how quickly AML can impact the body.
The Oncologist at Emory then said that my mom needs induction chemotherapy and will receive the most aggressive form of chemotherapy to try to get her AML into remission. This chemotherapy will require an in-hospital stay for a minimum of 30 days.
Once her cancer is in remission, she will then be prepped for a bone marrow transplant. Hopefully, her siblings will match as a first option; if not, Emory will then check the bone marrow donor registry for possible donor matches.
In order for Emory to do the bone marrow transplant, they will require my Mom to live within 15-30 minutes of the hospital (for emergency reasons) and have a caretaker there with her during and after the transplant for 2-3 months to make sure the transplant takes and there are no issues between the donor and my Mom.
This is not only a complicated journey, but also a costly one, even with my Mom's private health insurance through her employer. The expenses will add up from trips to and from Emory, induction chemotherapy hospital stay, bone marrow transplant, expensive medicines after the transplant, and lodging expenses in Atlanta, just to name a few.
My Mom needs to focus and concentrate on getting well. We are all behind her in every way. She asked for positive thoughts and prayers while she fights to overcome this.
She is a great Mom, awesome Grandma, loving Sister, loyal Wife and a good friend to a lot of people. No donation is too small. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for anything you can donate.
If you wish to donate to her, please do on this page only. We will also have fundraisers around Middle Georgia to raise awareness and support for my mom. "Marrow for Margie" is the name of her cause...
We will also have bone marrow donor fundraising drives. It only takes a mouth swab of your cheek to potentially save a life. We will post info regarding these other fundraisers as soon as we have the dates and locations.
Thank you for taking the time to read my Mom's story and for any and all support. Bless each and every one of you.
Organizer and beneficiary
Angela Fitzpatrick Kinsey
Organizer
Perry, GA
Margie Fitzpatrick
Beneficiary
