Rita & Jim's Pancreatic Cancer Fund

In early February, Rita's skin started itching.  From the initial blood tests, the doctor identified that her pancreas wasn't working right.  By the end of February, a cancerous mass was identified in her pancreas.  In March,  Rita was accepted as part of a program at Mayo in Rochester, MN.   We decided that because this hospital is relatively close and  very experienced in this type of care that it made sense to go there.  Rita has been identified as having late 1st stage cancer and it was found much earlier than most pancreatic cancer.

Since the beginning of February, we have already incurred $2000 in medical expenses not covered by health insurance and travel costs.  The care will involve chemo, surgery and radiation.  We currently expect the duration of this initial care to be approxiametely 7 months.  Some of this time Rita will need to be absent from work for extended periods of time.  This greatly reduces our income and puts large financial stress on our family.

These funds will help us stay out of debt, due to additional unanticipated medical costs and loss of income.

We have also set up a Caring Bridge site to keep people up to date on Rita's condition.