Ricci’s Fight

I would like to introduce you to Ricci Arnold.  She is 29 years old and was diagnosed with Stage 3B Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the Left Breast on August 16th, 2018. I met Ricci during the summer of 2016 through one of my best friends. I have traveled the world and met diverse groups of of people with different cultural backgrounds.  This made me realize that Ricci is a unique individual – she is one of the nicest people that I have ever met.  Her caring compassion extends to friends, family and strangers. She has always had a passion for the medical industry and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Nursing with a focus as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She has worked most of her adult life caring for others in the medical field and dreams of continuing to do so for many years to come. Up until September 10th, 2018, she worked full time in her position as a cardiac/intermediate care nurse at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital. With much resistance on her part, her doctors convinced her to go on short term disability to pursue her own treatment. Ricci’s cancer treatment has been an emotional and physical roller coaster ride. The grueling chemotherapy treatment has already exhausted more time than her short term disability will allow, as well as depleted all of her available savings. Currently, she is in the process of applying for long term disability that will hopefully preserve some level of income of which the majority will be spent to cover the medical expenses of COBRA insurance. We have recently discovered that she will be losing her group healthcare insurance through her employer once this transition has been completed. While the long term disability protects her current position with the hospital for when she is able to return, it does not allow her to keep her group healthcare insurance.

Ricci is an extremely proud person and she was hesitant to allow me to organize this page. For someone who has always put others first, now is a great time for her friends, family and donors to come together and give back to her. Let us all rally around her to reduce this overwhelmingburden and ensure that she is able to pay her daily, medical, and outrageous insurance costs as she fights for her life to beat cancer!!

I hope that friends, family, and anyone who is moved by her struggle can find it in their heart to assist. We have launched this go fund me for anyone who is able to help her with any amount. We will soon be organizing a benefit on her behalf to show our support to this brave and caring young woman. Thank you for reading about Ricci.