Medical Support for Cindy Willer

How does a cough turn into Stage IV Colon Cancer? This is a question Cindy Willer has asked herself since her October 5, 2022 urgent care visit. We, the children/sisters/brothers/nieces/nephews of Cindy are asking our networks to assist us in supporting Cindy through the financial impact she faces due to her cancer diagnosis. The money donated will go directly towards her medical bills, insurance payments, and loss of employment income over the next six months.

Medical Diagnosis

On October 5, 2022, Cindy went to urgent care because she had a persistent cough and could not sleep through the night. The doctors thought she was having a heart attack and ushered her to the ER. Once there, she was found to be severely anemic. Cindy received a variety of tests, one of which was a colonoscopy that revealed she has Stage IV Colon Cancer. She was in the hospital for four days and could not eat or drink. Cindy lost significant weight over those four days.

Since then, Cindy has had to take an immediate leave from her job and begin chemotherapy. While she is supposed to receive this medication bi-weekly, the chemo has drained her body of energy and resulted in a loss of appetite, causing her medical team to push out her treatment to every three to four weeks instead. It takes Cindy two weeks to recover from each treatment and feel back to “normal”. So far Cindy has lost 70 pounds and is working as hard as she can to not lose any more weight.

Cindy begins her sixth round of chemotherapy on February 20, 2023. She recently had a CT scan which showed a positive reduction in the tumors in her lung and lymph nodes, however, there is still a long road ahead to recovery. An additional, and unrelated to the cancer, complication she was diagnosed with is Cirrhosis of her liver, which causes her uncomfortable bloating. Liver damage caused by Cirrhosis can't be undone, but further damage can be limited.

The Need

Cindy has been unable to work since her October diagnosis and now must retire, following her Doctor’s orders. She has worked 24 years as a Custodian and 6 years as a Secretary for the same school. Cindy is also the primary caretaker for her husband Dan, who has had Parkinsons for the last 15-years.

In March 2023, Cindy will lose her employer's insurance due to being unable to work. She recently was approved for disability, which lessens some of the medical expenses. However, being yet ineligible for Medicare, Cindy will need to purchase insurance. At the same time, she has medical bills that remain unpaid, as her employer's insurance covered only a percentage of the actual cost.

Overall, her cancer diagnosis and loss of employment have created a major financial burden. She is already experiencing a deep emotional and physical toll, making the concern over paying her bills one we hope to lessen for her.

Positive Outlook

Cindy believes in miracles and wants to be one. She hopes and prays for her recovery. As a mother to four daughters (Nicole, Michelle, Danielle, Kayley) and grandmother to one 8-month-old granddaughter Eevee, she prays to be able to continue to watch them grow, marry, and have children of their own.

We, the family of Cindy Willer, know she is a humble and hard-working woman that lives each day for her family. She would never reach out on her own to ask for financial support, which is why we are asking our friends, extended family networks, and strangers, to help us, help her.