Hello, my name is Ann, but I go by my nickname “Angie.” My story started after the pandemic began in early 2021. I had my annual checkup in March. I took my daughter to Walmart, and while I was waiting in the car, I got a phone call from my doctor about my blood test results. As he was telling me the results, I felt my world come to a halt. Then he said it: “Leukemia,” and all I could ask him was, “How long do I have?” He said he could not tell me that. So that was the first blow.

Then in April, I went to get my mammogram. After it was done, they told me to wait so that the radiologist could check it. Then they asked me to come into another room, and they took an ultrasound. I looked at her to read her facial expressions. I didn’t like what I saw, and I tried to act positive about the whole thing, like telling her that in my family, the women are prone to cysts. She just said, “I’m sorry, it’s not a cyst.” Then the doctor came in and told me I would need a biopsy, which I will never do again while being awake. It was an awful, scary procedure. The results came in, and I heard the dreaded words, “Breast Cancer.” I got double-whammied! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! So I had to have surgery and radiation treatments. Later that year, because of the radiation, my left lung became inflamed and infected. So I had to go on steroids and antibiotics. I had the Covid shot too, which landed me in the ER. I thought I was dying. It was a horrible thing to go through. I’ll never take one of those shots again!

I had to rely on using my credit cards and bank accounts to live on and pay whatever the insurance wouldn’t cover. I had to pay out of pocket for my medical bills. So last year (2024), I was having head pains, so my neurologist ordered an MRI, which revealed another blow to me: it’s a mass in the fluid sac that surrounds the brain. It’s called a meningioma. They said it’s small and hasn’t touched the brain yet. But when it does, I could have seizures and other complications. Then I had another MRI later that year, and it grew just a tad bit bigger. The neurologist wasn’t too concerned yet. This year, I will be having another MRI to see the size of it. I tell you one thing: the head pains are annoying.

I worry about my kids. My daughter has hydrocephalus (water on the brain), so since her premature birth, we’ve been in and out of hospital stays, etc. Even though she’s a grown woman now, I still worry about her. That has kept me busy as a mom. So that’s what’s going on with me. I’m not making enough at my job to get these cards paid off and medical bills paid off. And I don’t know when I’ll have to have surgery again, and then I won’t be able to work for a while. This all depends on my next MRI. So if you can find it in your heart to help me out, I would appreciate it. If not, I totally understand. We’re all going through something. Thank you for reading my story. From the song in my heart to yours. Hugs!!