Hello friends, family, strangers, and everyone in between.

If any of you know us, you know how hard of a time we have asking for help, and we always wait until the last minute to do so. Well, this is that minute.

Hello, I am Nyssa, oldest daughter to Kellie, a fierce friend, a loving wife, a caring mother, and a strong woman. The short story is my mom has cancer. The good news is it's thyroid cancer, so it's curable with surgery. The bad news is none of the treatments are free.

Here's the long story:

Mom got bariatric surgery in June of 2023, and started making progress towards her health goals. Things were going well for a while, until May of this year. Weight loss came rapidly, unintentionally. More health complications arose. We thought it was related to the surgery and she had test after test: blood work, CT's, ultrasounds, scopes, nuclear medicine scans, and finally a biopsy. Thyroid cancer and overactive parathyroid glands were the answers, but we also got more questions. Doctors didn't believe the cancer was far enough along to cause her severe lack of appetite, intense nausea, and steep decrease in weight. With difficulty, she got a doctor to agree to have a procedure done to place a PEG tube, a tube that goes directly into her stomach to supply constant nutrition. The hope was to stabilize her weight loss (especially with the promise of at least 1 future surgery regarding the thyroid) and to take a look around and see if there was anything that the tests missed. Luckily, doctor didn't see anything and the PEG tube was successful, and she's been on supplemental nutrition since August 25th. Looking into the future, we have the surgical removal of the thyroid cancer, removal of the overactive parathyroid glands, and staging/recovery with potential radiation treatment (no chemo on the horizon). We are waiting to hear back from universities and Mayo Clinic who can provide the specialized care needed, as our main hospital system is running out of options for us.

During this time, my mom has been unable to work to her full capacity (and recently, not at all). PTO has run out, Dad is working overtime constantly, and we are doing what we can. But, unfortunately, these things add up.

Here is where we ask for your help. Again, anyone who knows us knows how difficult it is for us. Please know your emotional assistance and moral support thus far has been incredibly appreciated and much needed. We are incredibly lucky to have surrounded ourselves with loving, caring people that have been there for us when we need them.

Any financial contributions that can be sent our way would be incredibly appreciated. They will strictly be used to offset the mounting medical bills and any medical-related travel (pending acceptance to Mayo Clinic). Again, we cannot express our gratitude for the support enough. Thank you all.