Our “Little Lady’s” Cancer Relief Fund

My mother, Tina white, has been fighting stage 3 colon cancer for the past 3 years. In 2021 she experienced rapid weight loss and was feeling weak. It was a slow start to beginning a conversation with health professionals because of the barriers in the healthcare system during Covid-19—so the cancer grew. She became a patient at Fred Hutch Cancer Center and it was there that she endured weeks of radiation, chemotherapy and dozens of hours of testing and surgeries. She has always sought to be an informed patient in efforts to fully understand her treatment options and her condition—a condition that seems never ending.

Mom had a particularly difficult time fighting off nausea from the chemotherapy drugs. An unexpected reaction to anti-nausea medication caused her to have a Cardiac Arrest. Fortunately, she survived this harrowing experience! Mom had to wear a life vest for several months. Tina has been fierce in facing this disease, but the life-threatening cancer has taken a toll on her life in so many ways. Alongside the physical and mental challenges of cancer, financial hardship weighs heavily. Her medical care has resulted in hefty costs with new expenses tacked on every day such as the $4,000 for the life saving vest that her insurance would not cover. Exhausting all financial resources, I am sharing this with our community to gain much needed assistance. Tina will be able to use the donations collected to help get back to how life was before her diagnosis. This will help fund her housing, healthy food and a galore of medical expenses. Having outside financial support from friends and family and even from those not known intimately will help ease a heavy burden. With this support she will be able to focus on the gentle things in life: a ride on the ferry, a good cup of coffee, a walk with her poodle, a thoughtful conversation, a good book.

Tina’s story - she was officially diagnosed with cancer in 2021. After sharing this news with her children, she immediately started radiation. Her team of doctors began with very aggressive treatment. After 33 rounds of radiation and an additional large burst for good measure, the oncology team saw a major decrease in the size of the tumor and made a decision to remove the disease with surgery. The day of, her doctors were dismayed to find the tumor had not only grown back, but was larger than it had been prior to radiation and chemo. Whilst Tina lay on the operating table, they had to cancel the surgery planned that day. The surprisingly aggressive tumor growth led them to begin palliative chemotherapy. After three months, new imaging showed that the tumor had shrunk providing a window for her doctors to make another attempt to surgically remove it. The surgery was 14 hours long and required the hands of 3 separate surgical teams at UW Medical Center. After removal of her reproductive organs, and a large part her colon, her surgeons created a permanent colostomy and rebuilt a portion of her pelvis using a muscle flap from her leg. Tina was ready to begin the long journey of healing. The surgeons were crushed to share that some of the cancer remained and was inoperable. This massive surgery left Tina bed bound. She spent a month recovering in the hospital where she was too sick to receive visitors. Instead she spoke with and learned a little something about the lives of the amazing nurses who cared for her day and night. Whenever she could, Tina shared her sense of humor with the her care team and became known as a likable patient! Once her incisions started to heal and her pain was managed Tina then faced the next mountainous task of learning to walk again. After months of physical therapy and her unwavering spirit, she is finally back on her feet and seems thrilled to be able to walk short distances. For now she uses a wheelchair and a helpful push to go longer distances. Mom loves the outdoors! She is grateful to find many of Washington’s parks accessible by wheelchair. She continues to work with physical therapy and is ambitious to get out on her own and enjoy her longer walks again soon. In hopes of preventing regrowth and spreading of the disease, Tina’s team of doctors have suggested further chemotherapy and she will begin treatment again soon.

If you’re still reading, you have either had the chance to meet and love the incredible Tina or you’re the type of person that understands the hope and fight needed to wake up everyday to battle your worst fears. Thank you for reading Tina’s story and thank you so much for any support you can give.