Patty's Breast Cancer Fight
Donation protected
My name is Patty Burns, and I have lived and worked in and around Denali National Park for the past fifteen years. I am currently (but soon to be an unemployed) bus driver in the park, and have worked for Aramark, the Denali Education Center, Husky Homestead, and 229 Parks Restaurant.
On July 26, 2019, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. It has spread to the lymph nodes in my right underarm. I began chemotherapy on August 15, and will continue treatments through December 26.
Following each chemotherapy session, I receive a shot of Pegfilgrastim (brand name: Neulasta), a bone marrow stimulant, which helps the body to make white blood cells after receiving cancer medications. (Each of these shots alone costs $6,000.)
After the first of the year, I will undergo surgery; depending on how the tumor reacts to chemo, it will either be a lumpectomy or a full mastectomy, but a determination won’t be made until after my chemotherapy treatments are complete.
In conjunction with surgery, I will also receive radiation treatments to remove any and all remaining traces of cancer.
I live outside Denali National Park, and my closest available treatment is located in Fairbanks, approximately 120 miles away; a four-hour round-trip. A chemo session (with recovery) takes two days. As of the time of this posting, I have about fourteen additional chemo treatments planned, which means traveling to Fairbanks roughly every week through December 26, 2019.
In addition to chemo, I also have to drive to Fairbanks for a blood panel, which helps to monitor and ensure my white blood cell count is high enough. If my white blood cell count drops below a certain threshold, I may have to receive a blood transfusion.
At the time of this posting, driving to Fairbanks from Denali, food and fuel costs alone have added up to well over $1,000.
As mentioned above, each post-chemo shot costs $6,000.
By the end of my treatment in early 2020, my total medical costs may add up to over $100,000. In addition to food and transportation, that cost may be much greater.
I may not regularly post updates on my progress on GoFundMe, and maybe not at all until after December. Feel free to contact me directly, or on Facebook. If you would like to spread the word on social media, feel free, and please use the hashtag #ittybittysgetitoo ... it means the world.
Thanks to my Warrior Tribe for all of your love and support so far! I couldn’t get by without all of you.
Throughout my years of living and working in Alaska, I understand now more than ever the importance of neighbors, friends, and family. To survive up here, you need a community behind you to help get by. I’m reaching out now to my neighbors, friends, and family… you… for any help you are willing and able to offer. Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated.
Much love,
Patty (Aug. 2019)
#ittybittysgetitoo
On July 26, 2019, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. It has spread to the lymph nodes in my right underarm. I began chemotherapy on August 15, and will continue treatments through December 26.
Following each chemotherapy session, I receive a shot of Pegfilgrastim (brand name: Neulasta), a bone marrow stimulant, which helps the body to make white blood cells after receiving cancer medications. (Each of these shots alone costs $6,000.)
After the first of the year, I will undergo surgery; depending on how the tumor reacts to chemo, it will either be a lumpectomy or a full mastectomy, but a determination won’t be made until after my chemotherapy treatments are complete.
In conjunction with surgery, I will also receive radiation treatments to remove any and all remaining traces of cancer.
I live outside Denali National Park, and my closest available treatment is located in Fairbanks, approximately 120 miles away; a four-hour round-trip. A chemo session (with recovery) takes two days. As of the time of this posting, I have about fourteen additional chemo treatments planned, which means traveling to Fairbanks roughly every week through December 26, 2019.
In addition to chemo, I also have to drive to Fairbanks for a blood panel, which helps to monitor and ensure my white blood cell count is high enough. If my white blood cell count drops below a certain threshold, I may have to receive a blood transfusion.
At the time of this posting, driving to Fairbanks from Denali, food and fuel costs alone have added up to well over $1,000.
As mentioned above, each post-chemo shot costs $6,000.
By the end of my treatment in early 2020, my total medical costs may add up to over $100,000. In addition to food and transportation, that cost may be much greater.
I may not regularly post updates on my progress on GoFundMe, and maybe not at all until after December. Feel free to contact me directly, or on Facebook. If you would like to spread the word on social media, feel free, and please use the hashtag #ittybittysgetitoo ... it means the world.
Thanks to my Warrior Tribe for all of your love and support so far! I couldn’t get by without all of you.
Throughout my years of living and working in Alaska, I understand now more than ever the importance of neighbors, friends, and family. To survive up here, you need a community behind you to help get by. I’m reaching out now to my neighbors, friends, and family… you… for any help you are willing and able to offer. Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated.
Much love,
Patty (Aug. 2019)
#ittybittysgetitoo
Organizer
Patty Burns
Organizer
Denali National Park, AK