Stephanie's Sarcoma Battle & Last Wish

Hello, my name is Zack Shanks. Two years ago, cancer decided to attack and disrupt my family's lives. My older and only sister, Stephanie, has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. She was only 39 when the news struck our family. Steph has been the best older sister a brother could ever want. Any problems I ever ran into, she was always there to help and support me. I ran into a lot of my own medical issues and Steph was always by my side to make sure I was okay. Now that she has cancer, it's my turn to return the favor. Steph is a caring and loving woman. She is a strong person who fights for those she loves the most. She has a dog and two cats that she adores and they adore her. She doesn't deserve her life to be cut short. I am here to tell you the story of her cancer and to ask for help to make her last big wish come true.

 

Stephanie was diagnosed with stage 4 Leiomyosarcoma in Sept. 2020. This cancer is a rare cellular cancer that has no cure. It all started with a small lump that appeared on her left side sometime around Aug/Sept 2019. She asked her primary doctor about it and was told the lump was just a cyst. Over the next year, Steph continued showing the fast-growing lump to her primary doctor during every appointment. She was continuously told that the lump was just a cyst. Eventually, the lump was the size of a large avocado. Her primary doctor decided to send Steph to a Dermatologist. The Dermatologist examined her large lump and told her it was just a cyst! After a while, the large lump started to cause Steph some very uncomfortable pain. She went to the ER to get some help with the pain and see if perhaps the ER doctor could drain her "cyst." The ER doctor ran a couple of tests and then informed Steph that the lump was not a cyst; it was cancer. They immediately admitted her to the hospital. For the next couple of days, all sorts of tests were done. They discharged Steph while we waited for the results of the tests. After a week of impatiently waiting (it was torture), we received the results. The Oncologist told us that she had stage 4 Leiomyosarcoma, a rare, fast-acting cellular cancer with no cure. The cancer had already spread to her liver and lungs. We were told that undergoing chemo would maybe give Steph 12 or 14 months to live.

 

Steph has been fighting this cancer for nearly two years now. As I mentioned earlier, she's a strong woman and these last two years have proven that. She has gone through several different kinds of chemo, including the most potent chemo that they call "Red Devil." Unfortunately for us, the cancer started growing again a few months ago. Steph is currently trying Immunotherapy. The first infusion really knocked her off her feet. The second treatment she did better but still not great. This is one of her last options for treatment. If this doesn't work, all she has left is a chemo pill that's aimed to fight sarcomas. The most recent prognosis stated that she now has a few months to a year to live.

 

Steph knows she's running out of treatment options and time. We asked Steph if there was anything on her bucket list that she really wanted to do. She said she wanted to go on a final cruise with her family. This is Steph's dying wish. She wants her father, mother, and two younger brothers to go on a cruise with her. She would love to include any close family members who could also join us. This GoFundMe is to send Steph and her family on a cruise for one last complete family vacation. Please donate to Steph's GoFundMe and make her last wish come true. Thank you.