Support Anna's Journey to Recovery and Joy

On behalf of my beautiful sister-in-law, Anna, and brother, Joe, we’d all hoped you’d never hear from us again. As many of you know, Anna, was diagnosed with blood cancer. A fight she won after over two years of intense treatment. It cost her and Joe a lot: their home, friends, work, lives, and had a great impact on both families.

Of course it was all worth it: Anna’s most recent scans show she’s still cancer free.

But unfortunately she’s still not out of the woods, and even as she’s putting the last of that fight behind her and trying to get back to her life, she’s now facing a brand new health challenge: double hip replacement surgery.

Anna’s body took a beating during treatment due to the toxic nature of her medications — chemotherapy drugs and corticosteroids. While these can lead to a number of long-term side effects, for her it meant a condition that has specifically affected her hip joints, called avascular necrosis, or (AVN). This condition results in bone death and eventually collapse of the joint itself.

Her diagnosis came in February, just weeks after her clean bill of health from her oncologist. While the understanding was that the condition would be progressive, it quickly worsened. She now experiences daily pain and discomfort, and is losing basic mobility every day.

This comes at an incredibly difficult time — Anna was laid off at the end of May, and hasn’t yet secured new employment. Her hectic surgery and recovery schedule will likely prevent her from being able to return to full-time work this year.

Here’s what she faces before the end of 2024:

• Two major joint replacement surgeries, scheduled six weeks apart, 9/30 and 11/11 respectively

• Pre-op CTs

• IVIG infusions and special considerations for her compromised immune system (a long-term effect of chemotherapy)

• Recovery and rehabilitation for each surgery — including PT

• Significant medical expenses beyond what insurance may cover — including physical therapy, movement aids (walker, canes, toilet seat lift), and at-home safeguards

My parents live in nearby Ft. Collins to provide whatever help they can, and Anna's sister, Andi, will fly in for Anna’s first week of recovery after surgery number one. But Joe will again be the primary caregiver, and is hoping to continue to maintain his full work schedule while he does so.

We are all optimistic that these surgeries will go off without a hitch, and Anna will make a quick recovery, and that she will finally — after 3 long years — get to enjoy pain-free days and return to the activities she and my brother love doing together.

A Go Fund Me I started for them for Anna’s cancer journey helped them immensely, but this new challenge will all add even more to the existing burden of her and my brother’s medical debts, even after all the progress they’d made. Your contribution, no matter the size, will help ease the financial stress on these two people I love so much, as they focus on healing and gaining their life back once and for all.

Thank you for your kindness and generosity.