Rachael Reckless vs Cancer
Donation protected
Rachael grew an egg!! Hurray! But not the fun kind. Boo!
On January 3rd Rachael was diagnosed with a rare cancerous tumor in her head called a Biphenotypic Sarcoma. Dr. Geltzeiler is the lead surgeon on Rachael's Oncology team. Her team at the Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU specialize exclusively in cancers of the head and neck. Dr. Geltzeiler says this specific type of cancer is "the rarest of the rare", but they have put together a specialized action plan to kick this tumor's ass!
What can you do to help?!? There's a list of ways to offer her your support listed down the at bottom. :)
A Biphenotypic Sarcoma is a type of cancer primarily eats connective tissue. In Rachael's case that means it is eating the bone and cartilage in her head. It is a lumpy egg shape with the small end pushing out the skin of her eye socket, and the big end pushing onto her brain cavity. It is about 1 inch wide and about 2 or so inches deep. Specifically, the tumor is growing forward out of her right eye ridge/orbital socket, and growing backwards where it has eroded the cribaform plate, the thin little bone plate that separates the frontal lobe of her brain from the front of her face.
It’s gonna be a LONG and SERIOUS procedure. She will be getting incisions inside her nose, a few in her face, and on top of her head from ear to ear like a rainbow. During the surgery the oncology team will remove as much of the tumor as they can, and remove all the bone, cartilage, and any soft tissue the tumor has destroyed. There is a possibility she may lose her right eye, but they will not know until they start the surgery. Rachael says: "He straight up told me he had to fight to keep my eyeball. The panel of sarcoma doctors wanted to take my right eye. But since this isn’t a cancer that likes to spread, they’re gonna leave it alone. But that means the cancer will probably come back in a few years."
After they remove all the bad stuff, they will rebuild her eye socket, rebuild her cribaform plate, all the internal supporting structures of connective tissue, and a bunch of little bones inside her head. Dr. Geltzeiler says: "There’s a plastic surgeon on the team to try and keep your face from too much disfigurement, but chances are you might want to do some more after you're healed to remove any scars or damage to your face."
She will in the hospital for several days after the surgery, and have an extended recovery at home. She will be out of work for at least a month, then she gets to start radiation therapy! Rachael's radiation treatment schedule will be 5 days a week for 6 weeks. That's 30 trips up the hill to OHSU and back!
Rachael is sparkly happiness. <3 Her energy sticks to you like glitter and leaves you feeling like you've just been included in a secret fancy party even when she is just saying hello. She is going to need love, friendship, and cash to help her through this long process. Every dollar adds up. So if you can only donate a little that's okay, and if you can donate a lot, now's the time to share. <3
Rachael is looking at 6 months treatment and recovery time till she's fully back in action. In the next 2 weeks she is going to need donations to help make up for the time she has to take off work for pre-surgery appointments. She will also need to buy things that aren't on Amazon like pre and post surgery medical supplies, meals, and transportation costs.
After surgery Rachael will need help paying her bills, transportation getting to and from the hospital for radiation treatments and follow up appointments, and help with medical costs her insurance won't cover. A big side effect of the radiation is fatigue, so it is going to take a bit of time before she is completely up to speed and able to work full time to support herself independently again. This isn’t a cancer that likes to spread, but she will be getting her head regularly scanned for the rest of her life, because this is a type of cancer that is likely to come back every few years.
Please donate what you can!
Here is a link to Rachael's Amazon wishlist. Gift cards are great because they are versatile and easy to use. http://a.co/iBzhbRd
You can also send her money by searching "Rachael Reckless" or Rachael Belknap" on:
#RecklessVsCancer #RachaelKillsCancer #OHSU #KnightCancerInstitute
*The GoFindMe donation request may increase as her medical treatment progresses.*
On January 3rd Rachael was diagnosed with a rare cancerous tumor in her head called a Biphenotypic Sarcoma. Dr. Geltzeiler is the lead surgeon on Rachael's Oncology team. Her team at the Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU specialize exclusively in cancers of the head and neck. Dr. Geltzeiler says this specific type of cancer is "the rarest of the rare", but they have put together a specialized action plan to kick this tumor's ass!
What can you do to help?!? There's a list of ways to offer her your support listed down the at bottom. :)
A Biphenotypic Sarcoma is a type of cancer primarily eats connective tissue. In Rachael's case that means it is eating the bone and cartilage in her head. It is a lumpy egg shape with the small end pushing out the skin of her eye socket, and the big end pushing onto her brain cavity. It is about 1 inch wide and about 2 or so inches deep. Specifically, the tumor is growing forward out of her right eye ridge/orbital socket, and growing backwards where it has eroded the cribaform plate, the thin little bone plate that separates the frontal lobe of her brain from the front of her face.
It’s gonna be a LONG and SERIOUS procedure. She will be getting incisions inside her nose, a few in her face, and on top of her head from ear to ear like a rainbow. During the surgery the oncology team will remove as much of the tumor as they can, and remove all the bone, cartilage, and any soft tissue the tumor has destroyed. There is a possibility she may lose her right eye, but they will not know until they start the surgery. Rachael says: "He straight up told me he had to fight to keep my eyeball. The panel of sarcoma doctors wanted to take my right eye. But since this isn’t a cancer that likes to spread, they’re gonna leave it alone. But that means the cancer will probably come back in a few years."
After they remove all the bad stuff, they will rebuild her eye socket, rebuild her cribaform plate, all the internal supporting structures of connective tissue, and a bunch of little bones inside her head. Dr. Geltzeiler says: "There’s a plastic surgeon on the team to try and keep your face from too much disfigurement, but chances are you might want to do some more after you're healed to remove any scars or damage to your face."
She will in the hospital for several days after the surgery, and have an extended recovery at home. She will be out of work for at least a month, then she gets to start radiation therapy! Rachael's radiation treatment schedule will be 5 days a week for 6 weeks. That's 30 trips up the hill to OHSU and back!
Rachael is sparkly happiness. <3 Her energy sticks to you like glitter and leaves you feeling like you've just been included in a secret fancy party even when she is just saying hello. She is going to need love, friendship, and cash to help her through this long process. Every dollar adds up. So if you can only donate a little that's okay, and if you can donate a lot, now's the time to share. <3
Rachael is looking at 6 months treatment and recovery time till she's fully back in action. In the next 2 weeks she is going to need donations to help make up for the time she has to take off work for pre-surgery appointments. She will also need to buy things that aren't on Amazon like pre and post surgery medical supplies, meals, and transportation costs.
After surgery Rachael will need help paying her bills, transportation getting to and from the hospital for radiation treatments and follow up appointments, and help with medical costs her insurance won't cover. A big side effect of the radiation is fatigue, so it is going to take a bit of time before she is completely up to speed and able to work full time to support herself independently again. This isn’t a cancer that likes to spread, but she will be getting her head regularly scanned for the rest of her life, because this is a type of cancer that is likely to come back every few years.
Please donate what you can!
Here is a link to Rachael's Amazon wishlist. Gift cards are great because they are versatile and easy to use. http://a.co/iBzhbRd
You can also send her money by searching "Rachael Reckless" or Rachael Belknap" on:
#RecklessVsCancer #RachaelKillsCancer #OHSU #KnightCancerInstitute
*The GoFindMe donation request may increase as her medical treatment progresses.*
Organizer and beneficiary
SarahJane Lightning
Organizer
Portland, OR
Rachael Belknap
Beneficiary
