Support for Patty During Cancer Treatment

I’m not usually one to share personal things like this, especially online. But right now, my family is facing something bigger than we can manage alone.

A little over a month ago, my mom, Patty went in to get treated for sever hip pain. Originally thinking it was a tear turned out to be cancer. She originally beat breast cancer in 2017, but it’s come back. This time, it’s in her bones. The cancer is actively spreading through her hip, pelvis, spine, clavicle, and lymph nodes. She’s in a lot of pain when it comes to movement, and the lesions have made her bones so fragile that she recently caused a stress fracture in her spine just from coughing.

She had surgery earlier this month to stabilize her femur with a rod and pin, and is trying to recover from that as well. The hardest part is, we don’t yet know what’s next. Her PET scan just confirmed additional lesions, and we won’t meet with her medical oncologist until this Friday to learn what the next steps will be, including how long she’ll be out of work or what kind of treatment plan lies ahead.

My mom is a kitchen manager for an elementary school, and since school is out for the summer, she’s not able to receive benefits, such as paid time off while she’s healing. She is hoping to get short-term disability after the she meets the requirements.

At the same time, her home has suffered water damage. Her kitchen floor, sink, and cabinets were torn out due to a leak, and she’s doing dishes in a tub while trying to rest and manage the pain.

We’re setting this fundraiser up not knowing the full picture yet, but knowing we’ll need help to get her through it. We’ll continue to update this page as we learn more.

Right now, we’re trying to help cover:

A $1,000 spinal back brace she urgently needs (this is the amount not covered by insurance)

Basic living expenses while she’s out of work

Ongoing out-of-pocket costs for appointments, treatment, and home needs

She’s incredibly loved and supported by her kids, we’re doing everything we can to help her through this. But even with all of us pitching in in different ways, the financial side of things is more than we can manage on our own right now. She doesn’t have a second income to rely on, and while we’re holding things together as a family the best we can, we’ve reached a point where outside support could make all the difference.

If you’re able to give anything, thank you. If not, please consider sharing or sending good thoughts or prayers her way. We truly appreciate every bit of kindness and support.

Thank you!