Support for JoAnn and Her Family

Hello community,

I, JoAnn Cordes' youngest daughter Amber, am writing to you today to ask for financial support to continue to be able to care for my mom as she undergoes treatment for Stage IV Melanoma. I would also like to ask for you to think of us in your spiritual practice and send a blessing or prayer or healing energy our way.

financial support is needed for the following :

On September 20th, 2023 doctors discovered three brain tumors in JoAnn's brain which has impacted her ability to execute tasks, regulate emotions, focus, and cause memory difficulties, to name a few. She has had a series of seizures this summer which lead to this discovery. They then discovered a mass in her left lung. These masses are stage IV melanoma metastases. She had melanoma of the skin in 2015 which was treated and removed but has now returned and is spreading.

October 9th-11th she received three treatments of Gamma Knife Radiation to treat the brain tumors. This was a very hard treatment to endure but she completed it and all of her loved ones and care team feel extremely proud of her. Initially after the treatment she was only feeling mild symptoms like fatigue but this past Wednesday, Oct. 18, things took a turn. She had a major seizure and was rushed to the hospital. This seizure was a result of missed dose of medication and the swelling and irritation of the tumors and brain due to radiation treatments. One of the tumors is in the middle right of her brain which controls the left side of the body. For 48 hours she was having major difficulty controlling the left side of her body. Her arm and leg were having tremors and convulsions that made it difficult to eat, walk, or use these extremities. She is still having "episodes" 5-10 times a day where these movements and lack of control of her left arm and leg come back. It is very scary and disorienting and drains her mentally. She describes it as the rest of her brain shuts off and all that is occurring in her mind is the firing of nerves to these extremities. She is working with OT and PT and a great team of Neurologists. We pray this is only temporary and merely a result of the irritation from the treatments.

Since being in the hospital my mom has responded really well to her medications and is gaining back function. However, they are getting ready to discharge her. She lives alone in a public housing skyrise that is not suitable to her current needs or condition. We had begun the process of applying to Assisted Living but that process has been delayed due to the hospital stay. We have been working with social workers and housing coordinators to resume the process of coordinating her move but things take time.

I, Amber, have been caring for my mom full time for the last 6 weeks. I am her advocate, her care coordinator, her lunch date, the one that's able to calm her down and articulate what is happening in her body in a way she understand and can hear (she is hard of hearing and that goes unnoticed by some). I was blessed to be visiting from Maine the day my mom found out about the tumors. I did not second guess extending my stay and although I have put a pause on my job and my life in Maine I know it is exactly what I need to do as no can make it through a diagnosis and treatment like this alone. BUT I need financial support to help me stay here.

Her next phase of treatment for her lung will begin in December. This will include a lung biopsy and immunotherapy. Right now our focus is on her getting out of the hospital and into a suitable place to live that supports her medical condition. That is all we know right now and otherwise are just taking things day by day.

Thank you all so much for reading, praying, sharing, and contributing what you can. I will continue to post updates on her progress. Thank you.

With care and blessings,

Amber