Medical Fundraiser for Sweet Sarah

Our sweet 18-year-old, Sarah Carter, was diagnosed with a bone tumor in November of 2019. The tumor is in her pelvic bone and was found accidentally when her rheumatologist ordered an MRI of her sacrum, looking for the cause of her nearly constant pain. The tumor is unrelated to that pain but must be removed as it is growing "aggressively" and is pushing on the bone. Her orthopedist wanted to do a full-body MR bone scan to see if there are more tumors, but insurance would not approve it. The next step was a biopsy of the tumor which was extremely painful and costly. The biopsy was inconclusive as the radiologist was unable to get enough tissue from the tumor. Now we are moving to the next step which is the surgical removal of the tumor and replacement with artificial bone material. The tumor will then be biopsied. The good news is that the doctors believe it to be benign - YAY - but regardless, it must come out.

We have exhausted our Flexible Spending account funds and have not yet hit our deductible of $5,500. We owe the hospital money for the biopsy still and are wary of how much the surgery and recovery will cost. I am a high school English teacher (at Sarah's high school) and my husband is an over-the-road truck driver who has changed jobs twice this year. We were having difficulty paying the bills, and now we have these new medical bills to add to the pile. In addition, Sarah needs to have her wisdom teeth removed as they are beginning to crowd her nearly-straight teeth. Yikes. 

Sarah is a senior this year and has been admitted and is hoping to attend Tarleton State University in the fall where she will major in Music Business. She can only attend if she is able to get scholarships for the majority of the cost. She is in the middle of scholarship applications and having these medical issues and impending surgery is not only painful but is very stressful to both her and the family. It is hard to focus on your daily activities and goals when you just want answers about your health and you are scared to death of the thing growing inside you.

We are appreciative of everyone who has helped and will continue to help us as we get over this bump in the road. We are not used to taking charity, we are more used to giving it. Now it is our time to ask for help. Can you please help?