Support Kelly's Healing Journey Together

Please help we need your support!

On December 22, 2021, Kelly was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma at the base of her tongue. After seven weeks of chemotherapy and radiation starting in February 2022, she was cleared by a PET scan in June, giving her hope with a 98% cure rate. Unfortunately, she began experiencing health issues in April 2023, and a biopsy confirmed the cancer had returned. Despite undergoing immunotherapy and chemotherapy from July 2023 to August 2024, it became clear that the treatments were ineffective. In September 2024, her doctors determined that surgery was her only option.

On September 9, 2024, Kelly underwent a total laryngectomy, with the possibility of a glossectomy. During the 9.5-hour surgery, the team performed a skin graft from her leg to reconstruct her throat and create a flap inside her mouth, which would aid her in swallowing . A feeding tube was placed in her stomach to assist her until she could relearn how to swallow. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the doctors were unable to save any of her original structures. After nine days of recovery in the hospital, she was finally released to return home.

Just days later, on September 21, a blood vessel in her mouth ruptured, leading to a critical situation. She was rushed to Ocean Medical Helipad and airlifted to Jersey Shore, where she spent five hours stabilizing, including receiving a blood transfusion. Once stable, she was airlifted to UPENN for immediate surgery to locate the source of the bleeding. It was concluded that her body rejected the flap which caused the artery to rupture and bleed. Following that procedure, she was placed in a medically induced coma in the surgical ICU until September 24. On that day, doctors performed another surgery to replace the flap inside her mouth using muscle from her chest. After a six-day recovery in the hospital, Kelly was finally able to return home, where she is now resting comfortably with her family by her side.

As she continues her recovery, we are raising funds to assist with her medical expenses and support her healing journey. Your kindness and generosity will provide vital help during this incredibly challenging time. We are currently waiting to find out if she is cancer free. As many of you know our mom has always been someone who looks on the bright side and I can say that with everything that has happened she still has that same positive attitude. She is such a strong and admirable person and we are so happy we have our mom at home!

Our dad has been home taking family leave to care for our mom and while we don’t know when he will return to work based off of her recovery process, we just wanted to appreciate everything he’s done for not only our mom but the family as a whole. It really shows my siblings and I that no matter what life throws at you and how hard it can be, all you need is family and to be surrounded by people who love you. We are so thankful for both of them.

We thank you for your support and love!

Love,

The Palmieri Family