My name is Monica Schivone-Rimcoski. On March 6th 2025, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. I've had to travel hundreds of miles back and forth between Tucson and Phoenix, AZ, to Mayo Clinic Hospital for aggressive radiation treatments and Chemotherapy. It was disheartening when I was told that Immunotherapy will not work for me due to the genetic makeup of my tumor. The grueling schedule of constant treatment and recovery has kept me out of work. The bills have stacked up over the last 6 months and now I'm forced to ask my community for help. The disability payments I have been receiving are significantly less than my normal income. My husband has missed many days of work and we have also had to pay for lodging in Phoenix so I could receive daily radiation treatments. Now I just found out that I will have to pay my health insurance premiums in full beginning next month.

Next, I will most likely need surgery, which will keep me out of work for a few more months. I am hoping that I don’t, but I know that there is a 75% chance that I will in fact need surgery. Appointments with the surgeon have already been scheduled which is never a good sign.

Why I’m Asking for Help

You work so hard to get where you are and then the unthinkable happens.

In March I was diagnosed at Stage 2, but then cancer was found in my lymph nodes, which stepped it up to locally advanced Stage 3c. In June during a recovery period, I developed sepsis that required an emergency hospital stay. It felt incredibly scary to come so close to dying. A month later I was hospitalized a 2nd time.

Never did I imagine that my cancer battle would be this difficult or take this long. I really thought my treatment would be over by now. Financially I knew I could handle a few months without help, but more than 6 months is more than my husband and I can handle. To top that off, my cancer has a high rate of recurrence. I am hoping that I can beat this cancer and that it will never return but I know that I need to be prepared in case it does.

For the last seven years, I have worked at the same wonderful company. They have graciously been holding my job for me as long as possible until I can go back to work. They have done so much for me and have been so supportive. I love the people I work with and can’t wait to return. My husband's place of work has been very supportive as well.

Everyday I wake up and can’t believe that this is happening.

These last few months are the toughest because I just don’t know what is going to happen. I am normally a very strong person but right now I am more terrified than ever. To me, the scariest thing is the not knowing what is going happen. 

With your help, I know I can overcome this tragedy. With your help and support I can continue to fight this awful disease.

This GoFundMe will help me stay ahead of medical bills, help defray living expenses, and give me a chance at comfort during recovery so that I can focus on what matters most: fighting this cancer and spending time with my husband and family, including my one-year-old nephew—the first of my family's new generation and the light of its future. In these troubled times, family is everything.

Please give what you can. Every donation goes a long way, no matter the size. And if you can’t give, please consider sharing this campaign with your community of friends and loved ones.

I used to think cancer mainly strikes at elderly people who are in a better position to handle the financial strain. But more and more young people like me are having to deal with this dreadful disease.

From the bottom of my heart - Thank you

#Cancerfighter #Gofundme