Gina's fight to beat cancer

Hello. My name is Gina Tshibaka. I wanted to take a few minutes to explain to you my battle with cancer. I work as a school nurse for Carroll County Public Schools.  I am married to a wonderful husband Cimenga, and have 3 children, Alexis (13), Christopher (10) and Regina (23). As a nurse, this is the first time I have needed to ask others to help me.  It is in the nature of a nurse to help others.  When I was 36 years old, I had a dry cough. I saw an allergist who prescribed allergy shots. In addition, a GI doctor prescribed reflux medication. At this time, I was hopeful that it could be this simple. However, none of these treatments seemed to make a difference. In January 2012, I became very sick. After having a chest x-ray, I was diagnosed with pneumonia. After a course of antibiotics, there was no improvement. I then had a bronchoscopy which confirmed I had adenocarcinoma in my left lung. That day was life changing.  I had never smoked in my life. My outcome did not look good. I started seeing a doctor at University of Maryland. My PET Scan showed the cancer was in the left lung and my omentum. This made it stage 4 cancer. The cancer was found to have an Epidermal Growth Factor Mutation (EGFR). My option for treatment was a research drug called Tarceva. I knew now that I had to stay postive and keep moving forward.  I returned to work, as a school nurse, while beginning the treatment. Tarceva was a miracle drug. After 2 months, there was no trace of cancer in my body. That lasted about 15 months, then the cancer returned in both, my right and left lung. Next, I tried  traditional chemotherapy and research immunotherapy drugs. I was  given  four more years of my life. Then in October 2015, I got the news that the cancer had worsened and had spread. It is in the right and left lung, omentum, and around my liver. I have developed ascities in my abdomen. I also developed a common, but unexpected complication. I have a pulmonary embolism (blood clot) in my right lung. I  have now been prescribed blood thinners. My oncologist started me on a new chemo medication called Afatinib. Unfortunately, because of the  side effects such as nausea, vomiting and decreased appetite, I have not felt very well or been able to eat often.
Since the last set back,  I have been on a medical leave from my nursing postion at Carroll County Public Schools. I will soon have to go on disability and will have to pay for my own insurance. In addition, my medical bills are adding up quickly. It is important for me to maintain my insurance because one of my medications alone is $7068.77 for a 30 day supply. My husband has had to take time off of work to  care for me and get me to my doctors appointments. He is also caring for our children and trying to maintain their regular routines in school and extra curricular activities. We have been living on a single family income. Even with good insurance, my percentage is overwhelming. My goal is to raise $80k which would help with the cost of insurance and mounting bills. While on disability my employer will to be able to cover any of the insurance premium. If you're able to help, it would be greatly appreciated.
My family thanks you .

Gina