Please Help Olivia Beat Rare Stage 4 Cancer

Hi Everyone,

Back in 2005, one year after my family moved to Georgia, the Morales family moved in around the corner and a very special friendship began. The parents, Nancy and Darrell, and their kids, Kate, Olivia and Mitchell, led similar lives to that of our family – our kids going to the same schools and reaching the same milestones together. My friendship with Nancy grew after our kids went out into the world. We would meet for walks early in the morning and those walks, but more importantly, the talks, gave me a refreshing start to my day. We shared details of our daily lives and talked about our hopes and dreams for our children’s future. I also watched with admiration as Nancy worked and attended school to obtain her masters in art therapy to work with cancer patients. Little did she, or any of us, know, Nancy would ultimately need that education for an incredibly special patient, her own daughter, Olivia. It was upon Olivia’s diagnosis of Stage 4 Appendiceal cancer that I felt the shared heartache that comes with cherished friendship.

We are establishing this account to help our sweet Olivia in her battle against stage 4 appendiceal cancer. Olivia has been battling Crohn’s disease for the past 11 years. Crohn’s has challenged Olivia in multiple ways—forcing her to overcome painful flare-ups requiring different treatment protocols, dietary restrictions and many hospitalizations. Through these challenges, Olivia worked hard to keep her spirits up, hold down a job, create art like her mom, and lead a somewhat normal life of a young adult in her 20s.

In an effort to end the roller coaster of suffering and interruptions to her life, Olivia underwent surgery to remove the stricture (problem causing area) in her small intestine. While operating, the surgeons discovered that Olivia’s appendix was in bad shape. They removed it for testing and the pathology results revealed extremely rare stage 4 appendiceal cancer.

There are limited specialists treating this cancer and the treatment itself will necessitate Olivia focusing all her efforts on fighting this disease. Olivia will begin six months of chemotherapy in the next week in the hopes of shrinking the remaining cancer in her body. Following chemo, the next stage of treatment is an aggressive and rarely performed 10-hour surgery called HIPEC with a recovery period of 6 to 12 months. Luckily, there is a surgeon at Emory University in Atlanta experienced in this surgery. It is fortunate that Olivia can undergo chemotherapy and the surgery in Atlanta, which will allow Olivia’s family to be with her and support her on this journey.

The medical and personal expenses have begun to accrue and Olivia will not be able to work as she fights this battle. We know there are many who want to help and this is your opportunity! With this GoFundMe page we are hoping to raise the much-needed funds to help cover the mounting expenses and allow Olivia and her family to focus on her recovery.

If you would like to read Olivia’s personal account of her journey please visit her Facebook page. The link is below:

https://www.facebook.com/olivia.morales11

I will keep everyone updated on Olivia’s progress.

Please donate today.