Our dear friend, colleague and soul sister, Doreen Martin continues to navigate her cancer journey. If you know Doreen, you know that she is a person who isn’t comfortable asking for help, but she has agreed to allow us to start this campaign and we are hopeful, with your help, we can ease her struggles. Every donation helps!

Thank you!

Crystal, Jule and Zoie

Doreen's story:

On May 13th my whole life was turned upside down. I was transported by ambulance to CMMC where I was treated and tested for convulsions. That's where they found the brain tumor and large mass on my right lung. They immediately sent me to Maine Med for more tests. To remove the brain tumor that was affecting my memory and vision, they would have to wait for the swelling to go down. It was the scariest thing I've ever been through. The information was overwhelming. The brain tumor was removed and I was sent home after approximately 2 weeks. I needed 24 hour care. I had PT, OT and speech daily. It was the hardest thing having to admit that I needed help. I went through radiation treatment to make sure they got all the cancer cells. In the meantime they couldn't do anything to my lungs until I regained my strength. I worked so hard mentally/physically to get myself back to work. I agreed to many tests and to do immunotherapy. July 15th I was given the ok to work at summer school (4 hours a day)!

Every week was filled with doctor's appointments and tests. My work place was amazing and worked with my schedule every day. In October I had another MRI and CAT scans when they said it was time to address the lung. I was so scared and kept putting it off thinking immunotherapy was doing the job. February was when it got real and once again my life was in turmoil. I agreed to do 7 weeks of two different types of chemo once a week and 30 rounds of radiation. I had the attitude that I was going to beat this! March 20th was my last treatment, but the last two weeks have been extremely difficult with fatigue and health issues. I decided to do acupuncture, which has been a godsend in my healing process. When they say cancer is difficult, that's putting it mildly. Everything changes emotionally and physically. Every day you're reminded of the cancer. Looking in the mirror and seeing what it's done to your body inside and out, losing your hair, your whole identity is gone.

Small cell lung cancer frequently metastasizes to the brain, affecting 40%-80% of patients during their disease course. These tumors are highly aggressive, often requiring prompt radiation treatment. Insurance has not covered all of Doreen’s medical expenses. We are setting a goal of $10,000 to help with outstanding bills and upcoming immunology treatments. Thank you for any help you can give!