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Hi friends! I am creating this GoFundMe on behalf of a woman who many of you know as a compassionate friend, humble servant, selfless confidant, and trusted companion. She is also a devoted wife, a mother, a "Lolli", a full-time caretaker, and most importantly, a strong and faithful woman of God.
The Short Story: Cancer seems to have a strong hold on our family. 2 of 3 of Meshelle's sisters have recently been affected by cancer, and Meshelle was diagnosed with what was first known to us as Metastatic Adenocarcinoma--more specifically now--Stage 3B Triple Negative Breast Cancer with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Because our Healthcare system is expensive and broken, we are humbly asking for help from anyone who is willing, able, or feels called to do so. The funds raised here will go towards:
- Medical expenses (including expenses that are not covered by insurance and co-pay's/out-of-pocket expenses required until her deductible is met.)
- Treatments that may not be covered by insurance (including pending results of genetic testing)
- Travel expenses between the 3 oncology offices that she is being seen by.
- Counseling/Therapy
- Living Expenses for when she misses work beyond allotted sick days.
The Long Story: Meshelle currently has the diagnosis of Triple Negative Breast Cancer. We are praying that the cancer is localized to her breast and lymph nodes, however, Meshelle has a PET scan on 5 January to determine if the cancer has spread to any other part of her body. While we are praying and believing that is not the case, if it is, this journey is going to get much more difficult, painful, treacherous and frankly--expensive. She is currently preparing to start part 1 of her chemotherapy regimen which consists of a combination of 1 immunotherapy drug and 2 chemotherapy drugs once per week for the next 12 weeks. She has her pre-op appointment on 6 January for her chemo port, and surgery to install her chemo port on 9 January. Because of Meshelle's Triple Negative status, there are no targeted drug therapies that the doctor can recommend, which is why chemotherapy is our first line of defense. Regardless of the PET scan, Chemo will be needed. The results of the PET scan will determine a stage 3B vs stage 4 diagnosis, and if this cancer will be curable or not.
As most know, Meshelle is the primary caretaker for her husband Shawn, who is diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, brain tumors, and a seizure disorder. Outside of the cancer diagnosis, Meshelle also struggles with diabetes. Because of this, Meshelle is wanting to work for as long as she can, until she is not able to anymore--as they do have expenses associated with day-to-day living, treatments, MRI's, and prescriptions for Shawn. This GoFundMe will allow her to keep the money that she works hard for to go towards their personal expenses and expenses associated with Shawn's condition, while having her medical expenses caused by the cancer covered by this campaign + her insurance.
Why this has happened, especially to such a kind, caring, and compassionate woman is something I don't think any of us can comprehend. Cancer doesn't care how kind, caring, or compassionate you are though. It doesn't care if you are the caretaker of someone who already has a terminal illness. It doesn't care if you are a wife, a mother, a grandmother, or a friend. It will fight like hell to take you down--but we are here to fight harder and persevere. We know that we serve a God who is more powerful than this cancer.
With that, whether it's sharing this on your social media, saying a prayer for our family, or donating; please know that we are so thankful and appreciative that you are joining in this fight with us.