Sheryl's Medical Fund

A year ago Sheryl was diagnosed with mandibular oral cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma. She had to undergo eleven hours of surgery to remove the lower part of her face including her jaw bone and all her teeth. Amazingly the surgeon at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore was able to take a bone out of her leg to reconstruct her jaw. She’s had to undergo radiation treatments and now has to have a therapist who specializes in lymph edema therapy.

Sheryl and her husband James are retired and live in Kentucky. Twice a week she has to drive to Lexington for her therapy appointments along with trips to Baltimore every other month for post-surgery exams. They’re on a fixed income and were doing okay until this catastrophic disease struck.  Luckily, Medicare has paid for most of the medical expense, but her out of pocket medical costs, travel, and everyday expenses are piling up. She’s also in need of post-surgery medical devices such as a Flexitouch System Lymphedema pump. It is considered to be experimental at this stage and so is not covered by Medicare. This machine is designed to remove the fluid that is forming in her face and neck due to the lymph nodes there being removed during the radical surgery. If not controlled, the fluid can cause infection. If not eliminated, the infection can kill her. Only after the infection is gone will they be able to implant new teeth and restore her appearance. Until then, she is limited to soft foods and as a result has experienced excessive weight loss, which is now leading to loss of muscle mass. 

She’s come this far and fought so hard, it would be a tragedy not to have access to the equipment she needs in the final stages of fighting this horrible disease simply because of her limited income. The surgery saved her life, but without financial support she will be unable to resume a normal life and in the end could eventually face both bankruptcy and even death. Sheryl knows many people face these issues, but hopes that some generous and compassionate folks will see it in their hearts to help her with a contribution.