Save My Mom's Life from Hodgkin Lymphoma
Spende geschützt
Hello, my name is Lei. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I am trying to get some help for my mom, a 62-year-old woman suffering severe pain and high paraplegia from diagnosed Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
My mom is a selfless person who always puts family as her priority. She and my dad have been separated for over 20 years, but she never started a new family because she prioritized caring for my grandpa. He was sick with cancer, and my mom stayed by his side 24/7 to care for him. After my grandpa passed, my grandma became mentally ill and needed care. She could not get through the grief of losing her husband, and she now stays in my grandpa's old house and is reluctant to get out even for a walk. My mom takes full responsibility for my grandmother’s well-being.
One day, my mom found a soybean-sized tumor in her neck. She didn't take it seriously because it was not painful or itchy. As time went by, it gradually turned into multiple lumps, like a bunch of grapes inside her body. Some of the tumors grew huge, which made her not even able to move her neck. In June 2021, she went to the hospital in my hometown and had her first surgery. She was able to get most of the tumors removed from her body, all but one. The tumor was wrapped around her carotid artery, and the risk was too high to remove it. Instead, her doctor suggested that she start chemotherapy immediately to keep the tumor under control. The treatment would consist of 7 to 8 rounds of chemotherapy, which would have kept my mom hospitalized. Feeling responsible for my grandmother’s health, my mom refused treatment.
On April 22, 2022, my mom was experiencing serious heartburn along with nausea and vomiting. She felt super weak, with severe pain in her neck and upper body. My friends in my hometown drove her to the hospital right away. That night in the emergency room, she already could not feel her arms and legs. After running some preliminary examinations, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The doctor told us the cancer cells had already invaded her bone marrow and caused severe anemia and high paraplegia. They needed to run a series of examinations to understand the extent and determine a treatment plan. However, my mom's body was unable to produce blood, and she became even weaker. She needed a blood transfusion before they could run any tests. Sadly, the healthcare available in my hometown is bad, and they could not find a matching blood type. She needed blood, but instead of a transfusion, they were drawing her blood daily to find a match. It failed every single time. At this point, they could only provide palliative care. Sadly, even the painkillers could not reduce the pain. My mom suffered in pain every single day for 18 days straight. The doctors provided me with notice of critical illness. Without treatment, she would only be able to endure the pain and sickness for a maximum of 2 months more. I need to get home right away.
The news ripped my heart apart. I came alone to The United States 8 years ago, starting as a cashier at a donut shop. I worked hard every single day to improve my English and professional skills. Luckily, my current company offered me a temp role in Quality Assurance, a department that did not yet exist for this company. I jumped in and was rewarded with a full-time position and asked to build the department from scratch. Eventually, I became the Director of QA. I thought if I worked hard, I would provide my parents better life. I completely lost sight of how fast they could become old and sick. I never realized I might not have enough time to provide for them.
Due to the pandemic and the restrictions applied by the Chinese government, getting to China has become almost impossible. I applied for a Chinese visa online and reached out to the Chinese embassy in NY every single day to explain my situation. Finally, I got the visa approved. Immediately, I went to the travel agency to get a ticket, only to learn not only are the tickets expensive ($10K to $12K for a one-way ticket) but there are no tickets available. When I finally can get a ticket, I will still need to quarantine for 21 days in China before I can see my mom. No one is around to keep her company in her toughest time. In February, my dad had a sudden cerebral infarction while driving, resulting in a car accident. He was injured and just recently got out of the hospital. However, he is still not healthy enough to provide any care or support for my mom. It really breaks my heart to know my mom is sick and alone. She has always provided so much selfless support for all family members. What if I am not able to see her anymore? I can’t even bear the thought.
I was reaching out to all my friends back home for help. Fortunately, in May 2022, we finally were able to get her transferred to a better hospital in Nanning, Guangxi. Thankfully, the doctors there were able to find matching blood, and they gave her the needed blood transfusion. Finally, she was able to run all the examinations and was correctly diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The doctor told us the cancer cells had caused serious damage to her spinal cord. Not only does she need to do many rounds of chemo treatment, but she also needs targeted radiotherapy to kill the cancer cells inside the spinal cord. These treatments are her only chance to live and, if lucky, feel her arms and legs again. However, her medical insurance won't cover most of the medical costs. From last year to now, from Beihai to Nanning, the examination and treatment have cost more than 100k RMB, and we will need to prepare 500k RMB for her to complete all the treatments. All the costs will need to be paid before each treatment.
I hope she gets a chance to live and I get to spend more years with her. I truly appreciate any help. I hope for a miracle.
Thanks again for taking the time to read this long letter.
My mom is a selfless person who always puts family as her priority. She and my dad have been separated for over 20 years, but she never started a new family because she prioritized caring for my grandpa. He was sick with cancer, and my mom stayed by his side 24/7 to care for him. After my grandpa passed, my grandma became mentally ill and needed care. She could not get through the grief of losing her husband, and she now stays in my grandpa's old house and is reluctant to get out even for a walk. My mom takes full responsibility for my grandmother’s well-being.
One day, my mom found a soybean-sized tumor in her neck. She didn't take it seriously because it was not painful or itchy. As time went by, it gradually turned into multiple lumps, like a bunch of grapes inside her body. Some of the tumors grew huge, which made her not even able to move her neck. In June 2021, she went to the hospital in my hometown and had her first surgery. She was able to get most of the tumors removed from her body, all but one. The tumor was wrapped around her carotid artery, and the risk was too high to remove it. Instead, her doctor suggested that she start chemotherapy immediately to keep the tumor under control. The treatment would consist of 7 to 8 rounds of chemotherapy, which would have kept my mom hospitalized. Feeling responsible for my grandmother’s health, my mom refused treatment.
On April 22, 2022, my mom was experiencing serious heartburn along with nausea and vomiting. She felt super weak, with severe pain in her neck and upper body. My friends in my hometown drove her to the hospital right away. That night in the emergency room, she already could not feel her arms and legs. After running some preliminary examinations, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The doctor told us the cancer cells had already invaded her bone marrow and caused severe anemia and high paraplegia. They needed to run a series of examinations to understand the extent and determine a treatment plan. However, my mom's body was unable to produce blood, and she became even weaker. She needed a blood transfusion before they could run any tests. Sadly, the healthcare available in my hometown is bad, and they could not find a matching blood type. She needed blood, but instead of a transfusion, they were drawing her blood daily to find a match. It failed every single time. At this point, they could only provide palliative care. Sadly, even the painkillers could not reduce the pain. My mom suffered in pain every single day for 18 days straight. The doctors provided me with notice of critical illness. Without treatment, she would only be able to endure the pain and sickness for a maximum of 2 months more. I need to get home right away.
The news ripped my heart apart. I came alone to The United States 8 years ago, starting as a cashier at a donut shop. I worked hard every single day to improve my English and professional skills. Luckily, my current company offered me a temp role in Quality Assurance, a department that did not yet exist for this company. I jumped in and was rewarded with a full-time position and asked to build the department from scratch. Eventually, I became the Director of QA. I thought if I worked hard, I would provide my parents better life. I completely lost sight of how fast they could become old and sick. I never realized I might not have enough time to provide for them.
Due to the pandemic and the restrictions applied by the Chinese government, getting to China has become almost impossible. I applied for a Chinese visa online and reached out to the Chinese embassy in NY every single day to explain my situation. Finally, I got the visa approved. Immediately, I went to the travel agency to get a ticket, only to learn not only are the tickets expensive ($10K to $12K for a one-way ticket) but there are no tickets available. When I finally can get a ticket, I will still need to quarantine for 21 days in China before I can see my mom. No one is around to keep her company in her toughest time. In February, my dad had a sudden cerebral infarction while driving, resulting in a car accident. He was injured and just recently got out of the hospital. However, he is still not healthy enough to provide any care or support for my mom. It really breaks my heart to know my mom is sick and alone. She has always provided so much selfless support for all family members. What if I am not able to see her anymore? I can’t even bear the thought.
I was reaching out to all my friends back home for help. Fortunately, in May 2022, we finally were able to get her transferred to a better hospital in Nanning, Guangxi. Thankfully, the doctors there were able to find matching blood, and they gave her the needed blood transfusion. Finally, she was able to run all the examinations and was correctly diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The doctor told us the cancer cells had caused serious damage to her spinal cord. Not only does she need to do many rounds of chemo treatment, but she also needs targeted radiotherapy to kill the cancer cells inside the spinal cord. These treatments are her only chance to live and, if lucky, feel her arms and legs again. However, her medical insurance won't cover most of the medical costs. From last year to now, from Beihai to Nanning, the examination and treatment have cost more than 100k RMB, and we will need to prepare 500k RMB for her to complete all the treatments. All the costs will need to be paid before each treatment.
I hope she gets a chance to live and I get to spend more years with her. I truly appreciate any help. I hope for a miracle.
Thanks again for taking the time to read this long letter.
Organisator
Lei Zhang
Organisator
Revere, MA