My name is Lauren I’m Sandy’s daughter. I want to share with everyone our heartbreaking life changing journey over the last 5 months. My Mom has always been a hard worker, loving wife, proud mother and grandmother. She is also a 4 year breast cancer survivor! We never thought four years later our family would be hearing the words cancer again. Here is Sandy, my moms story.

In early October 2020 she was working at the West Point Mint, she lifted a box and thought she pulled a muscle little did she know lifting that box would change her life. Countless trips to the ER and her primary care doctor said it just seems like a pulled muscle. The weekend of October 12th her walking and movement started to decrease. Her doctor sent her for an MRI and when the results came back on October 19th she was rushed to St.Lukes ER. Due to covid only one person at a time was allowed back in the ER myself, my brother, and father took turns waiting for a specialist to come in. I happened to be with her when they came in. They told her there is a mass growing against your spine and it has crushed your spine at T6. They told her she was going to be transported to Good Samaritan hospital to have spinal surgery to repair her spine and remove the tumor. 

October 20th 2020- My mom underwent a 12 hour emergency surgery. No one could go in and we had to wait home or outside of the hospital. They repaired her spine putting a cage in place of T6 and T5 and T7 are now held together by plates and screws. She spent a few days at Good Samaritan and was transferred to Helen Hayes to start rehabilitation. 

After a week of rehabilitation she was rushed to Westchester Medical Center because the feeling and her mobility to her lower half was starting to go away. She was officially diagnosed with Plasmacytoma. Never did I want to hear the words she has cancer again! She underwent 10 session of radiation and was discharged back to Helen Hayes.

She spent one month at Helen Hayes trying to build her strength and mobility in her lower half of her body. My father and I were brought into to Helen Hayes to learn how to take care of her, transfer her from her power wheelchair to the bed, and care for her catheter among many other personal tasks.  We had to switch the house around and set up the downstairs to accommodate her hospital bed, power wheelchair and other care items for her. 

On December 18th my mom was discharged and sent home. She followed up with her oncologist and he told us in the treatment for her cancer was surgery and radiation and she did both, the complication is that she can’t stand walk, or use her lower half of her body. He said we are going to keep monitoring her blood and do a CT scan to make sure the cancer stays away. 

Physical therapist, Occupational Therapist, and Home Care Nurse were set up for home visits. January and February have been going okay, we are learning something new each day and dealing with any and everything coming our way. She even began having some movement in her feet and legs! She followed up with her spinal DR, and he  wrote a prescription for out patient PT. She has been accepted into Helen Hayes to start PT.

March 17th 2021- My parents received aphone call from her oncologist to come to the office right away, my mom’s routine blood work from over a few weeks ago has started showing high protein. She has become weak, tired, and confused with her mental ability. Her oncologist is almost positive the cancer is back and spreading fast throughout her body. March 24th she is going for a CT and PET scan. He is sending her to Sloan Kettering in NYC for her new team of doctors will come up with a treatment plan for her. 

My family and I are setting this go fund me up for medical expenses that have occurred so far and that are not covered under insurance and travel expenses that continue to add up and add to the reoccurring debt. 

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From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! Enjoy the time you spend with your  loved ones! Don’t take life for granted or your loved ones granted and cherish every moment!