Please help Rachelle beat Cancer
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Hi everyone, I want you to meet Lonnita Rachelle Harris. Her legal name is Lonnita, but most of her friends know her as Rachelle, someone I have been lucky enough to be friends with for over 30 years. She is a funny, caring and compassionate human being who has been dealt some devastating news recently when she was diagnosed with grade 3 Multiple myeloma.
What is Multiple myeloma? It is a bone marrow cancer that is rare in occurrence, with only 32,000 estimated new cases in the U.S. in 2020. Myeloma represents 1.8% of all new cancer cases in the U.S. With this condition, a group of plasma cells becomes cancerous and multiplies. The disease can damage the bones, immune system, kidneys, and red blood cell count. Myeloma is most frequently diagnosed among people aged 65-74, so you can imagine the shock, fear and uncertainty that could be running through the mind of a 41-year-old woman who is diagnosed with this disease in what should be the prime of her life.
Rachelle’s caring and compassionate nature is what drove her to pursue her dream in becoming a nurse at 35 years old. After feeling personally unfulfilled working various jobs her whole life, she knew that she needed a change, and that she could serve this world better as a healthcare professional. In April 2016 she fulfilled her dream and began working as a RN in the telemetry unit at St. James Olympia Fields Hospital.
Fast forward to 2020 and the world is faced with a global pandemic in COVID-19. In March, Rachelle is informed her unit is being converted to a COVID unit due to the influx in cases. She did not waiver and continued to bravely stand on the front line to care for the patients that needed her most. On April 17 she injured her back, chalking it up to a severe muscle sprain and her doctor ordered her to take off a couple of weeks to allow her back to heal. Knowing Rachelle was a nurse on her feet for 12+ hours a day he did not want to release her prematurely and risk further injury. Over the course of those few weeks the pain was becoming unbearable which prompted her doctor to probe further into the issue by ordering x-rays, MRI, CT and blood work. After all the tests had been completed, Rachelle received the phone call that no one ever wants to receive with the news no person ever wants to hear, that she has lytic lesions on her hip and spine from multiple myeloma.
Rachelle faces a long and difficult road ahead with hopes of remission. Her oncologist has told her she will need 16 weeks of chemotherapy, followed by a bone marrow transplant. We have set our fundraising goal at $25,000.00 to help cover her basic living expenses and medical expenses not covered by insurance while she is unable to work, so she can focus on recuperating and recovering.
Multiple myeloma is not curable, but she is determined to force it into remission so she can hopefully one day put her scrubs back on and continue helping those who can’t help themselves. No one should have the added burden of worrying about their finances at such a fragile time in their life. Please consider donating to help this wonderful woman. Please give what you can now and consider donating again in the future if you are able (no donation is too small!) Please share this on social media with all your friends. Thank you in advance for your compassion and generosity that will help ease her mind. If you could also keep her in your thoughts and prayers during time.
What is Multiple myeloma? It is a bone marrow cancer that is rare in occurrence, with only 32,000 estimated new cases in the U.S. in 2020. Myeloma represents 1.8% of all new cancer cases in the U.S. With this condition, a group of plasma cells becomes cancerous and multiplies. The disease can damage the bones, immune system, kidneys, and red blood cell count. Myeloma is most frequently diagnosed among people aged 65-74, so you can imagine the shock, fear and uncertainty that could be running through the mind of a 41-year-old woman who is diagnosed with this disease in what should be the prime of her life.
Rachelle’s caring and compassionate nature is what drove her to pursue her dream in becoming a nurse at 35 years old. After feeling personally unfulfilled working various jobs her whole life, she knew that she needed a change, and that she could serve this world better as a healthcare professional. In April 2016 she fulfilled her dream and began working as a RN in the telemetry unit at St. James Olympia Fields Hospital.
Fast forward to 2020 and the world is faced with a global pandemic in COVID-19. In March, Rachelle is informed her unit is being converted to a COVID unit due to the influx in cases. She did not waiver and continued to bravely stand on the front line to care for the patients that needed her most. On April 17 she injured her back, chalking it up to a severe muscle sprain and her doctor ordered her to take off a couple of weeks to allow her back to heal. Knowing Rachelle was a nurse on her feet for 12+ hours a day he did not want to release her prematurely and risk further injury. Over the course of those few weeks the pain was becoming unbearable which prompted her doctor to probe further into the issue by ordering x-rays, MRI, CT and blood work. After all the tests had been completed, Rachelle received the phone call that no one ever wants to receive with the news no person ever wants to hear, that she has lytic lesions on her hip and spine from multiple myeloma.
Rachelle faces a long and difficult road ahead with hopes of remission. Her oncologist has told her she will need 16 weeks of chemotherapy, followed by a bone marrow transplant. We have set our fundraising goal at $25,000.00 to help cover her basic living expenses and medical expenses not covered by insurance while she is unable to work, so she can focus on recuperating and recovering.
Multiple myeloma is not curable, but she is determined to force it into remission so she can hopefully one day put her scrubs back on and continue helping those who can’t help themselves. No one should have the added burden of worrying about their finances at such a fragile time in their life. Please consider donating to help this wonderful woman. Please give what you can now and consider donating again in the future if you are able (no donation is too small!) Please share this on social media with all your friends. Thank you in advance for your compassion and generosity that will help ease her mind. If you could also keep her in your thoughts and prayers during time.
Organizer
Daryl Gorney
Organizer
Tinley Park, IL
