Help Helen fight cancer - Again

Original Story: Hi there. My name is Mark and my wife is called Helen, a Mississippi girl. I am from Ireland. We met as teenagers in 1978 and reconnected 33 years later. We have been married now for 12 years. She is the love of my life.

Having worked in various jobs in her young twenties, she served in ministry (unpaid as a Youth & Music Pastor’s wife) for almost 26 years. At age 41, she trained as a Registered Nurse working in Critical Care Step Down (Tupelo, MS), ICU (Amory, MS), Clinic Nurse Manager (Amory, MS), at UMMC in Jackson, and over the last two years at an Urgent Care Clinic in Carthage, near where we live. I have often seen the cards from patients/families about the loving, selfless care she has provided, the lives she has helped save, and the comfort she has brought.

April 2026:

In 2024, Helen had treatment for ovarian cancer (and so far has won that battle) and now 2 years on has discovered she now needs to battle Multiple Myeloma. Helen will have Chemotherapy and other therapies (yet to be confirmed) She is scheduled for chemotherapy treatments 2 days a week for 3 weeks out of the month - for 12 months.

We have used up what little savings we had in all the testing, scans and biopsy.

We are still trying to nail down all the specific costs (and they are likely to change as we go along) but as it stands we need in 2026 to raise money for

- Treatment, related medical and travel costs

- Help with living expenses as Helen will lose 20% of her income starting 1 May

- We also need to make some provision for when she may not be able to work (or do enough hours) and we have to fund her medical insurance.

A little back story that many of you will remember from a fundraiser in 2024 ---

Chemo for Ovarian Cancer from May to December 2024:

Original Story: Hi there. My name is Mark and my wife is called Helen, a Mississippi girl. I am from Ireland. We met as teenagers in 1978 and reconnected 33 years later. We have been married now for 12 years. She is the love of my life.

Having worked in various jobs in her young twenties, she served in ministry (unpaid as a Youth & Music Pastor’s wife) for almost 26 years. At age 41, she trained as a Registered Nurse working in Critical Care Step Down (Tupelo, MS), ICU (Amory, MS), Clinic Nurse Manager (Amory, MS), at UMMC in Jackson, and over the last two years at an Urgent Care Clinic in Carthage, near where we live. I have often seen the cards from patients/families about the loving, selfless care she has provided, the lives she has helped save, and the comfort she has brought.

On 15 August, Helen had a mass – which stretched from one hip to the other and weighed about 5-6 lbs – removed. It was attached to an ovary and ruptured whilst being removed, which increased the risk of the spread of cancer cells. The last two weeks, she has seen the level of pain reduce significantly and is resting at home, and getting around much better after the surgery.

This morning, 28 August, at the Oncologist, it was confirmed that the tumor/cancer is a clear cell adenocarcinoma (Stage 1c), which whilst serious, could have been so much worse. Nevertheless, it is vital that she now have Chemotherapy to try to prevent any recurrence. Helen has taken it as calmly as possible and is planning her new headgear – there is an amazing range of beanie caps! Having been blonde all her life, she has been coloring it to keep it that way, and now she says that in losing her hair, she will get back to whatever her ‘old lady hair’ will look like now…lol!

We are blessed with many friends in Ireland and the UK who are probably used to a National Health Service which is government-funded. As our friends here in the USA will know, that is not the case here.

We are grateful for the contribution that Helen’s medical insurance from her nursing job provides, but we are faced with quite a daunting challenge financially. Between upfront surgery costs, hospital stay, anesthesiologist, lab work, numerous doctor appointments, and lots of medications, the loss of Helen’s employment for now (she has no available PTO or sick pay to use), and her insurance cover and four months of Chemotherapy, we now need help to raise $15,000. This has come as a big shock to us quite aside from the physical and emotional cost.

We are still in a bit of a daze at how quickly things have developed and I want to do everything I can to shield Helen from any financial stress.

Update: Helen is about to have her 3rd chemotherapy treatment for ovarian cancer. She has been doing pretty well with the treatments so far, with the exception of extreme fatigue and hair loss (which she has turned into a cute feature!) I think she looks gorgeous! The effects of chemo are known to be cumulative with each treatment, so could become worse with this next treatment. Her cancer was diagnosed as Clear Cell Carcinoma - a rare type. We are almost halfway through her treatments and praying her blood test results will continue to show the treatments are “doing their thing” and knocking this monster on its backside! She has started back to work some, but still misses time here and there for associated symptoms and her paychecks have not yet recovered from her initial 2 months off work. We appreciate your help and covet your prayers and support during this scary time. Please share this with your friends. You guys are awesome!

Over a number of months, Helen had various troubling abdominal complaints which, after initial investigation, were deemed to be gynecological in nature. The proposed plan was a total hysterectomy, with a bladder lift and umbilical hernia repair. At the final consultation, the surgeon requested a further set of scans which revealed a large ‘abdominal mass’ and a subsequent blood test indicated the likely presence of cancer.

We are very hopeful about the future and have lots of dreams left to pursue. For now, we just need any help that you or anyone you know may be able to give to help safeguard that future. We so appreciate your love, concern, and prayers.