Angel's Angels (Memorial Fund)

A month or so ago, our Mom started a new job at a group home for girls. At roughly the same time, she started feeling kind of lousy. She had some abdominal pain, mixed with anxiety, and attributed it to the new job, and feeling a bit overwhelmed. As the days wore on, she felt more and more like there was “something” going on, as she hadn’t been this sick in many years. Eventually, she knew that this was not going to pass, and she needed to see a doctor. She went into urgent care three times before a doctor suggested that she go to the emergency room, as her heart rate was elevated, and the doc worried about a blood clot.

At the ER, a CT scan of her lungs and heart was pristine, with no blood clots and no issues. When abdominal pain was mentioned, the docs decided to take a CT scan of her abdomen, and this is when her world, and ours, was turned upside down. My dad says that when the doc entered the room, he was watching my mom’s heart rate on the machine. When she was told there were some areas that were “concerning for cancer” my mom’s heart rate elevated and her lip started to quiver, and he’ll never forget that moment.

Soon after, a gynecological oncologist visited Mom and told her that she needed surgery, which was scheduled for Nov. 29. On the day of the procedure, our Dad was surprised to see the surgeon walk up to him an hour in, as the surgery was scheduled for 3+ hours. We were brought shocking and unexpected news – there were too many areas involved to safely proceed. They drained 5 liters of fluid from Mom’s abdomen and sewed her up, with a plan to pursue chemotherapy first, and the option of surgery down the road.

From here forward, the doctor was no longer saying words like “concern for cancer.” Her opinion now is that this is cancer, and it's incredibly aggressive. A normal cancer patient starts chemotherapy 5-6 weeks after surgery. Our mom was fast-tracked to 1-2 weeks, post-surgery. Then, after another CT scan showed even more growth, we were told that we couldn't afford to wait. They need to start chemo ASAP, or they might lose the opportunity to employ chemo to fight this aggressive cancer. Mom began chemo on Monday night, Dec. 6. The plan is for 3 courses, 3 weeks apart, then a scan to see where she’s at. If the chemo is working well, she may be a candidate for the hysterectomy surgery that she needs. If not, another 3 courses, 3 weeks apart, and another scan to see if she’s a candidate for surgery.

We still don't have a lot of answers, but what we do know is that our mom is in for the fight of her life. We send our gratitude to all who have already reached out to share kind words, acts of service, and hopeful prayers. It is clear that our mom has a community overflowing with loved ones who are eager to support in any way they can.

While the priority is getting her healthy again, we know that the reality of medical care in the United States is going to come with a steep cost for our family. The needs are many, and we are asking for your help as our family tries to survive this battle against cancer. We humbly ask that you help us recoup lost income, pay to cover high health insurance deductibles, and ease the burden that all of these things bring to our parents, as we focus on our mom’s health.

We love our mom, and we love and appreciate every last one of you for loving her as well. Thank you, in advance, for your generosity. We are grateful to count you as a friend, a supporter, and one of Angel’s angels.

With Love,

The LaBrant Kids (Denyele, Abby, Gracie, Ethan, Lukas)