Fighting For My Sister
Donation protected
For years, I would say how lucky my family was because we hadn’t personally experienced the dreaded “C” word except for older relatives who acquired it late in life. Little did I know that my strong belief that it could never happen to us quickly was crushed as my sweet sister Kim started down the long road to recovery.
On Friday, May 18, 2018, my sister Kim didn’t get out of bed early like she usually does to go to work. She couldn’t get up; she had a terrible headache and couldn’t put words together. Her husband, Ron, took her immediately to the medical center, where they thought she might have had a stroke. After running tests, they determined it didn’t appear to be a stroke, but because of her condition, they sent her to the hospital for more testing. On Saturday, they suspected that it could be a brain tumor. On Monday, May 21, Kim called me at work to tell me that it was confirmed that she has a brain tumor (cue tears). My brother Jeff and I went that night to inform our parents of the severity of her condition. Kim called, and the three of us told them together.
Kim’s Colorado surgeon wanted to schedule surgery quickly. She already had planned a visit to Cleveland, so she scheduled a second opinion with a Cleveland Clinic surgeon who agreed she would need brain surgery to remove and biopsy the mass. She decided to proceed with the medical team in Colorado Springs. My brother, my husband, and I drove to Colorado so that we could spend time with her before her 7-hour surgery on June 14. While the surgery on the one mass was successful, the surgeon expressed concern about another area. She was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most aggressive cancer that begins within the brain. Kim endured 6 weeks straight of radiation and chemotherapy. Starting October 1, she will begin high-dose chemotherapy treatments.
Rewind the clock about a year. Kim and Ron made the decision to follow their dream of returning to Colorado to live. One thing after the other has left them in a position of hardship. Ron’s own health issues and loss of employment because of them, high-cost health insurance, and mountains of medical bills have made Kim’s struggle with this disease so much harder, as if Stage 4 cancer wasn’t enough to bear.
They say that keeping a positive attitude can affect health and cancer recovery. Kim started out her journey so incredibly positive and with a strong desire to beat this awful disease. As I talk to her now, her spirit is breaking because all she can concentrate on is how they are going to manage. Kim being the person who would never ask anything of anyone suddenly finds herself in a time of need from family and friends.
Through our donations, each of us has the power to help ease Kim’s mind, to be there for her in this difficult time, and to help save her life. Please join me in donating whatever you can to help Kim beat cancer. We humbly thank you for your support.
#kimstrong #kimsteam #noonefightsalone #aintnobodygottimeforthat
On Friday, May 18, 2018, my sister Kim didn’t get out of bed early like she usually does to go to work. She couldn’t get up; she had a terrible headache and couldn’t put words together. Her husband, Ron, took her immediately to the medical center, where they thought she might have had a stroke. After running tests, they determined it didn’t appear to be a stroke, but because of her condition, they sent her to the hospital for more testing. On Saturday, they suspected that it could be a brain tumor. On Monday, May 21, Kim called me at work to tell me that it was confirmed that she has a brain tumor (cue tears). My brother Jeff and I went that night to inform our parents of the severity of her condition. Kim called, and the three of us told them together.
Kim’s Colorado surgeon wanted to schedule surgery quickly. She already had planned a visit to Cleveland, so she scheduled a second opinion with a Cleveland Clinic surgeon who agreed she would need brain surgery to remove and biopsy the mass. She decided to proceed with the medical team in Colorado Springs. My brother, my husband, and I drove to Colorado so that we could spend time with her before her 7-hour surgery on June 14. While the surgery on the one mass was successful, the surgeon expressed concern about another area. She was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most aggressive cancer that begins within the brain. Kim endured 6 weeks straight of radiation and chemotherapy. Starting October 1, she will begin high-dose chemotherapy treatments.
Rewind the clock about a year. Kim and Ron made the decision to follow their dream of returning to Colorado to live. One thing after the other has left them in a position of hardship. Ron’s own health issues and loss of employment because of them, high-cost health insurance, and mountains of medical bills have made Kim’s struggle with this disease so much harder, as if Stage 4 cancer wasn’t enough to bear.
They say that keeping a positive attitude can affect health and cancer recovery. Kim started out her journey so incredibly positive and with a strong desire to beat this awful disease. As I talk to her now, her spirit is breaking because all she can concentrate on is how they are going to manage. Kim being the person who would never ask anything of anyone suddenly finds herself in a time of need from family and friends.
Through our donations, each of us has the power to help ease Kim’s mind, to be there for her in this difficult time, and to help save her life. Please join me in donating whatever you can to help Kim beat cancer. We humbly thank you for your support.
#kimstrong #kimsteam #noonefightsalone #aintnobodygottimeforthat
Organizer and beneficiary
Michele Palmateer
Organizer
North Royalton, OH
Kim Simmons
Beneficiary