Two pounds.

In August 1991, I was born 3 months early and only weighed 2lbs 1oz. I was on the cusp of viability, and had I been born a few days sooner I might not be here today. My entire life I've been told that the only person there as much as the incredible NICU doctors and nurses at UC, was my mother. She spent almost everyday next to an incubator making sure I had the support, love, and care I needed. Now it's time I returned the favor. She wouldn't give up on me and I can't give up on her.

My name is Andrew, and I'm starting this GoFundMe on behalf of my Mother, Teresa. On Valentines day in 2024 she was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer after losing a considerable amount of weight. Since then she's been fighting an uphill battle combating this disease. Most of her treatment has responded well over time with the exception of her liver. The metastatic tumors just keep growing and cause her more pain. In August of this year she moved back to Kentucky from North Carolina to be closer to myself, my sisters, my nephews and my niece. Towards the end of November 2025 she entered hospice because the treatment for her liver wasn't responding. We also learned that it spread to her adrenal glands.

My Mom has spent almost her whole life surviving. She grew up with an alcoholic father who took his anger out on her regularly until she was able to leave when she was 16. She's strong willed and stubborn, which has me realizing where, I get it from. She, like many people wants to continue to survive and fight. When she got diagnosed with this she told me, "Momma is gonna fight this with all she has." By June of '24 after her diagnosis her tumors were responding and everything was looking hopeful. She continued with her regular treatments and over time, her liver stopped responding to the treatment. That's where this procedure comes in.

Since being admitted to hospice I've been doing research into treatments outside the hospital network we are that's when I found out about Histotripsy. It's a procedure that doesn't use radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery to remove or destroy tumor cells. It uses focused ultrasound waves to explode nanobubbles in the fluid in our bodies. these cavitation bubbles tear apart the cell walls while leaving important structures like blood vessels intact. Where this differs from conventional therapies is that your body gets to have an abscopal response to the cells. All that genetic information is left intact and unharmed for your bodies immune system. This has been shown to help any current treatments that may be working for up to 6 to 12 months. It's a quick, one day procedure that only requires general anesthesia. It has a high success rate in removing primary and metastatic liver tumors. It's currently in clinicals for pancreatic and kidney cancers. I'm currently in the process of getting her seen so we can determine if she's eligible for the procedure.

Here's a link to a research paper published in March 2025: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40149252/

And also a video explaining the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxD7N0_pjCk

That's where this GoFundMe comes in. We're trying to raise money for the procedure if it isn't covered by her insurance or pay for what can be done that isn't covered. My sister's, Brother in Law and I have also had to take time off work to care for her so some of it will be used to cover the wages we've lost. I work a full and part time job, so I try to spend as much time with her as possible while making sure I'm able to pay my bills as does my sister. Our Stepdad is a truck driver so he spends some of his time of the road and helping. Since being in hospice most of my time has been spent in the recliner next to her waiting on her every demand as she would have mine when I was in that incubator. I haven't done the best job as a son to her in my adult life so I'm trying to do my best while it counts by making sure she's comfortable, no matter what path this takes. The money would also go towards funeral expenses, cremation and her urn and any medical expenses she may run into along the way. The goalposts may change due to cost of the procedure.

I'm grateful that you've read this far and hope you'll donate to help make my mothers time here easier for her and give her peace of mind that everything will be taken care of. If you're unable to donate, please share and hopefully we can reach our goal. I hope we're able to meet our goals financially and medically so my Mom has more time here with us.

In the coming weeks I'll also be setting up a fb page and store for candles to sell to help raise money for Mom.