PLEASE HELP MY BESTIE FIGHT RECTAL CANCER!

PLEASE HELP MY BESTIE FIGHT RECTAL CANCER!

You read that right… Rectal cancer! How does a healthy, vivacious 35-year-old woman get hit with that disease? If you know Samantha Palan, you know that she is a loving wife to her hubby, Andy, a doting mother to Piper, 6, and Skylar, 5 (fur babies, Gerty and Frannie, too) and an exceptional leader as director of Harper’s Place, which is an organization that provides crisis stabilization to individuals experiencing a mental health and/or addiction crisis. Normally, Sam is busy trying to save the world, one person at a time, but now, she’s in a fight for her own life!

In the spring of this year, Sam was experiencing digestive issues causing a desperate need to visit the bathroom multiple times a day on a moment’s notice. When she noticed blood in her stool, she immediately saw her doctor, who immediately ordered a colonoscopy. Unfortunately, the soonest slot available was three months out. After the agonizing wait for this dreaded procedure, Sam contracted Covid two weeks prior to her scheduled appointment. After her quarantine, thankfully, Sam tested negative, and she was so relieved to be able to put the colonoscopy behind her (no pun intended!). Not so fast… Patient must wait 28 days post negative test result before getting the procedure. Ugh!

Finally, on August 22nd, Sam went in for the colonoscopy, which is when the gastroenterologist spotted the large mass in her rectum. A biopsy was ordered immediately, but the doctor was certain that it was cancer prior to receiving any results, and he was right.

After numerous additional tests, CAT scan, multiple MRIs, blood panels, etc., it was determined that Sam has Stage 4 rectal cancer that has metastasized to her liver and lymph nodes, which basically led her medical team to tell her to “hope for a miracle.”

However, Sam has been blessed with an angel on earth by the name of Dr. Stefania (Asciutti) Palan, Sam’s sister-in-law on Andy’s side, who is a gastroenterologist/hepatologist and happens to know a thing or two about the liver! She’s been studying Sam’s CAT scan and MRI images, and she shared some positive news. She said that while most cancer lesions to the liver cannot be cured because only limited liver tissue can be taken out, when lesions are near one another they actually can. Sam’s six liver tumors are located in two sections that are next to one another, so that is GREAT news from a surgical standpoint. Sam can receive a very complex surgery to the liver with the goal to be cancer free!

Dr. Stefania has been working tirelessly on Sam’s behalf to research surgeons, as Sam’s case calls for someone who is highly specialized. She has been able to narrow it down to a couple of surgeons in the area, one in Madison and one in Chicago.

As most of us are aware, specialists are rarely covered by insurance. This is going to be an extremely costly journey for the Palan family! Not only will Sam be receiving months of aggressive chemotherapy, followed by radiation to continue to shrink the tumors, followed by a very specialized surgery to hopefully remove every last bit of the cancer, but obviously, Sam will be taking a massive pay-cut while she tries to navigate through FMLA and short-term disability. In addition, any time Andy misses work to be by the love of his life’s side, he does not get paid.

I hope you will join me in helping my bestie with the oppressive costs that will be incurred fighting this dreadful disease! Sam is requesting that anyone with a family member who has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer get a colonoscopy NOW!

Thank you so much for your kindness and consideration!

Jessie Householder