Support for Adriana's New Life
Donation protected
I am a 29 year old woman who comes from Southern Mexico. In the summer of 2016, I came to the US to work as an au pair as I wanted to improve my English speaking skills, I love working with children, and I wanted to take some college courses. During the spring of last year, I began to feel unusually tired. I kept getting sick with colds and just couldn't seem to get enough sleep. I began to have stomach pain and thought maybe I had the flu. On July 18th, 2018, I was taken to see a doctor for a stabbing pain in my stomach and the thought that it was my gallbladder. I kept getting worse so I decided to see yet another doctor. At Unity Cardozo clinic, I was seen that evening by Dr. Kate Sugarman. Her intuition told her to order a general blood test. Two days later, Dr. Sugarman called me and told me that I had to rush to the emergency room at Sibley Memorial Hospital. In the ER on 7/20/18, I had a very painful bone marrow biopsy. My Oncologist, Dr. Khalid El-Shami, diagnosed me with pre-B cellAcute Lymphoblastic Leukemia(ALL) and that treatment had to begin immediately. After multiple rounds of chemotherapy with many different drugs, some of which were injected into my spinal canal, I finally did leave the hospital until the end of August in remission!
Since my diagnosis of ALL in July of 2018, I have been hospitalized for chemotherapy well over eight times. Gratefully, these treatments have been successful in keeping me in remission. With the specific type of ALL I have, the average life expectancy is 8 to 45 months if chemo is the only treatment. The good news is that if I have abone marrow transplant(BMT), my life expectancy can be extended 80% and there is a chance to actually cure the leukemia!
Like others on Go Fund Me, my insurance will not cover any of the cost of a bone marrow transplant. My doctor told me that if I can raise $100,000, then I can have the procedure done. Sadly, I do not have any money to cover the BMT, this is why I am asking for your help. Time is of the essence for me in more ways than one in that if I have the inevitable recurrence of my ALL prior to a BMT, it will likely be resistant to any of the chemo I have already received. I am asking for your generous support to help me raise the funds I need to begin a new life. I need this transplant as soon as possible to avoid relapsing. With your help, I will be able to increase my life expectancy, see my family again, and help others in my situation. I will also be able to go back to school and pursue the master's degree that I have always wanted.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for your generous donation. Every little bit does help!
Since my diagnosis of ALL in July of 2018, I have been hospitalized for chemotherapy well over eight times. Gratefully, these treatments have been successful in keeping me in remission. With the specific type of ALL I have, the average life expectancy is 8 to 45 months if chemo is the only treatment. The good news is that if I have abone marrow transplant(BMT), my life expectancy can be extended 80% and there is a chance to actually cure the leukemia!
Like others on Go Fund Me, my insurance will not cover any of the cost of a bone marrow transplant. My doctor told me that if I can raise $100,000, then I can have the procedure done. Sadly, I do not have any money to cover the BMT, this is why I am asking for your help. Time is of the essence for me in more ways than one in that if I have the inevitable recurrence of my ALL prior to a BMT, it will likely be resistant to any of the chemo I have already received. I am asking for your generous support to help me raise the funds I need to begin a new life. I need this transplant as soon as possible to avoid relapsing. With your help, I will be able to increase my life expectancy, see my family again, and help others in my situation. I will also be able to go back to school and pursue the master's degree that I have always wanted.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for your generous donation. Every little bit does help!
Organizer
Adriana Vilchis Ovando
Organizer
Washington D.C., DC