Last Christmas, instead of spending a holiday dinner together at home, I was taking my mom to the emergency room. A day and many tests later my mom was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer stage 4. When presenting in stage 4, it means that the original cancer has spread. For my mom, it has spread to her central nervous system. This has primarily effected her ability to walk. The tumors are surrounding her nerves on the base of her spine. She has an unsteady gait and her legs can give out without any notice. 

After numerous spinal taps and MRIs, a treatment plan was put together by her oncologist. Radiation was the first point of aggressive treatment targeting her cervical spine. The second phase of aggressive therapy is currently being administered. This chemotherapy is done inpatient usually lasting a week to ten days. This treatment can be administered up to eight times before it becomes detrimental to the patient. Her oncologist is thinking six treatments at this point. Additional MRIs and a spinal fluid flow study will be ordered after the sixth treatment to determine if the cell aggression has diminished and responded to this chemotherapy.  

During this time she cannot work and is on a meager fixed income. Bills are mounting outside of what insurance has covered. Additional expenses have been numerous with medical supplies, prescriptions for pain management, and in-home healthcare. There is also the everyday basic needs like food and gas for transportation with the twenty minute drive back and forth to the hospital. We are now faced with trying to modify the upper flat where she lives. Stairs are the biggest challenge and she is forced to stay in her home unless two people are available to assist her out.   

I am her primary caretaker. Unfortunately, my tremendous hour and a half commute to Chicago during the week for work takes me away from her for over twelve hours a day. My brother is thankfully in town but also works full time. It is a necessary evil at this point with budget constraints. This is why I am turning to this platform. We are respectfully and compassionately asking for any assistance. I have been working diligently to explore any and all resources that will reduce the stress she is under. We all know that in order to fight and concentrate on the success of cancer treatment plans, one must think positively and reduce any unnecessary stress. 

My mom is a very proud woman and would never want to ask for anything. I am doing this without her knowledge with the hope I can lift some of the financial burden for her. Every member of her medical team that meets with her is unable to get her full undivided attention since she is constantly worried about the mounting medical bills.