My sister, Sheri, is dealing with the most difficult time in her life right now while recovering from round two of thyroid cancer. On top of recovery, she is nearly $11,000 in medical debt after insurance coverage and climbing.

In March of 2017, Sheri started having strange problems with her medical health. For 14 months, doctors could not figure out what the specific problem was. After many rigorous tests, they came to the conclusion that her problems were caused by a combination of Lupus and Fibromyalgia. As she began different treatments for those, her body still seemed to rebel, making it feel impossible to take care of her three sons during flare ups. 

In early 2018, Sheri went in to get a lump on her neck checked out, and it was suggested that they test the lump for cancer cells. After they biopsied the sample, it was determined that it was Thyroid Cancer. Her first surgery was in May 2018, with a second big surgery in July. On top of the 6 months of medical leave from her job, she racked up $6,400 out of pocket in medical debt after deductible. This amount included what medical insurance did not cover. 

The first surgery took away 75% of her thyroid, leaving one parathyroid remaining that was deemed as not cancerous. This was left to partially help regulate the original functions of the thyroid. She developed hypocalcemia, which landed her back in the ER several days in a row because her body could no longer regulate correctly. She was administered multiple IV bags each day to help restore essential nutrients she needed to function. The radiation treatments that came after had lasting effects on her. She dealt with hair loss, weakened teeth, and brittle nails for the upcoming year. 

My sister was able to gain a new outlook from her traumatic experience, and, for a while, life seemed to return to normal. In early 2020, however,  it was discovered that the remaining parathyroid was also cancerous and required removal. It was too small to be removed surgically, unfortunately, and the best chance the doctors had to remove it relied on more radiation in a hope to shrink the cells. So far this round of treatment has come to around $4,000 of out of pocket medical expenses.

If this round of radiation treatment does not dissolve the tumor completely,  it is recommended that she seeks treatment from a Mayo Clinic facility. Living in West Michigan, the closest Mayo Clinic is in Chicago. This would lead to her spending several days in treatment, away from her family. 

After radiation treatment, just this last week, Sheri was able to go to work as a home health assistant for a patient in Holland, MI. While working she found herself weak and eventually ended up blacking out, waking up on the floor moments later. She contacted her doctor and they recommended that she immediately go to the closest hospital to be examined. After some fluids to get her nutrient levels stable and a few scans to determine that it was not a blood clot, she was sent home. At this time, she is unaware about the cost of this visit, but she was administered a full CT scan. Since that emergency visit, she had a follow up visit with a full PET scan as well, which she is awaiting the results from.

This entire experience has been incredibly taxing on my sister and her family of three young boys. She has had multiple days where it is difficult to get up and fight. She does so because she is not only a loving mother and caring wife, but an all around phenomenal human being, fighting to be here for the people around her.

I ask that you please donate to my sisters cause, if you have the availability. I thank you for listening to her story: a soon-to-be success story about the strongest person I know.