A dear friend and former co-worker, who many of you may have the pleasure of knowing, has recently begun her battle with a neuro-endocrine carcinoid that came back positive for cancer. Deanna reached out to me on December 3rd to let me know that she was going to be having surgery to resect the tumor and have it tested for pathology. Since that time period she has had two procedures done, one of which was an open laparotomy surgery to attempt to resect the tumor, including a hospital stay. Many of you know just how amazing, talented, and skilled Dr. Floresguerra is and how blessed we are to have him here in Johnson City. Unfortunately, the tumor is located on the superior mesenteric artery and he had to make the difficult judgement call to not resect it, as the risk of causing trauma to the artery would result in a devastating outcome. Therefore, Deanna is left to continue her treatment with her oncologist in the form of chemotherapy.
Due to the COVID epidemic and unforeseen circumstances, the majority of these procedures and surgeries, as well as the chemotherapy, are not going to be covered by insurance. Therefore, Deanna is not only burdened with a cancer diagnosis and the physical, emotional, and psychological toll that entails; now she is also burdened with having to pay out of pocket for what we all know are very expensive surgeries and treatment regimens.
I would like to share some of Deanna’s words, to demonstrate how positive her outlook and just how amazing her attitude has been while having to deal with a situation that I know I would not be doing so with as much grace. I really admire her and her strength:
“I got my biopsy results back last week. I wasn't prepared for the answers I got. I truly believed that the tumor was caught so very early, and because it's rare for a carcinoid to become cancerous, that I was going to be okay. I left it all in God's hands, and He has determined that my journey isn't going to end with this surgery. God has put this fight in my hands, and I still stay strong in my faith that God's got this. He won't let me walk through this alone, He will be with me every step of the way. Not to mention the super special Angels He has placed in my life, to help me get through this. All my love and thanks goes to God, but a special thank you goes to his wonderful Angels: Jill Talley-Horne Karen Carver Malone Christina Grant Merritt Hoffer and Kent Montgomery. I'm very lucky to have known all these people for many years, but even luckier that they are part of my healing process. I love all of you, so very much, and could never begin to tell you how much I appreciate you all. This cancer is going to get one tough fight from me, my prayer warriors and my special Angels.”
If there is anything the past two years have taught me it is that we are all just a moment’s notice away from a life-altering diagnosis. This pandemic has really made me learn to appreciate my health and to not take one single day for granted. What my friend is having to deal with could have happened to any one of us. I am creating this GoFundMe with the hopes that we can help take some of the financial burden and worry off of her shoulders. So that she can focus on her treatment and winning her battle against cancer. Thank you for taking the time to read about my friend. And if you feel it in your heart and are compelled to, thank you so much for your generous donation.