Support Margaret Martella
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April 23rd, 2019 will be a day I won’t soon forget. It was the day my niece Margaret found out she has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system.
My niece Margaret is a 20 year old vibrant, intelligent and ambitious young woman studying at Stony Brook University pursuing a double major in marine vertebrate biology and psychology expecting to graduate May of 2020. She is the eldest of three children by my twin sister Karen and we are as close as you would imagine twins could be (e.g. we live next door to each other) so Margaret is like my own daughter. My two kids consider her their older sister especially my daughter Jadyn. Jadyn and Margaret couldn’t be closer if they were sisters. Needless to say, both families have been and will always be very close. We’ve always been there for each other and it’s all we’ve ever known. Everyone else in our immediate family has passed away with the exception of our older sister Kerry who lives in Florida with our other niece Tara.
It all started just two weeks before Margaret was diagnosed when she woke up one morning after a long night of studying and noticed swelling on the right side of her neck. We initially thought she may have had mono because she was always tired and because I was diagnosed with it and had similar symptoms not too long ago. While waiting to hear back from the family doctor for blood test results the swelling suddenly felt firm to the touch and soon Margaret felt a pulsing in the lump so we decided to take her immediately to the ER at Stony Brook University Hospital. They ran routine blood tests and a CT scan to evaluate what we now know were enlarged lymph nodes. After waiting hours but when desperate for answers it seemed more like days, we were notified that the doctor wanted a biopsy and panic soon set in. The doctor at Stony Brook told us they think it’s Lymphoma. Being that it was Easter weekend we had to wait until Monday to get answers. It was the hardest weekend of our lives. We reached out to everyone we could to try and get the best medical care. With the help from extended family, (thank you Patricia) who reached out to a connection at Memorial Sloan Kettering we were set up with an appointment immediately. Numerous tests and PET scan were examined by the best doctors in the field and then the devastating news that Margaret has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was finally confirmed. Our hearts were heavy and emotions ran high at times with disbelief and extreme sadness to anger and heartbreak knowing that all of our lives will be disrupted from this point on especially Margaret’s. All the hard work that she’s put forth to reach her goals is snatched away and put on hold in an instant. She won’t be able to continue her studies, or work and she’ll likely spend her 21st birthday in recovery from the most recent treatment. A million questions raced through our minds wondering all the whys, whens, what ifs and then as if it wasn’t enough, the topic of fertility was brought to our attention. It was probably the furthest from all the concerns that flooded our brains. However, it’s a topic many at this age affected by this disease must consider because chances of getting pregnant for someone that has to go through chemotherapy is extremely slim unless the eggs are harvested before treatment starts. Even then, there are no guarantees, Unfortunately, the risks of delaying treatment outweigh the potential options so she decided to move forward with chemo ASAP regardless and take her chances.
May 6th, 2019 was Margaret’s first treatment and it was a long and emotional day. Her treatment plan is aggressive. Margaret will have a full day of chemo every other week in order for her body to have time to heal and receive blood transfusions between treatments. Sloan is about 60 miles from where we live so the drive involves sitting in traffic for nearly two to three hours each way, it is a small price to pay to receive the best treatment. Margaret is blessed to have an amazing team of doctors in the pediatric unit that will treat and could even cure this form of cancer. We also feel very lucky to be surrounded by what little family we have and all the friends that have been there for support.
I created this GoFundMe page in the hopes that we can raise funds to help Karen. She is a single parent that will have to miss many days of work. The funds that are raised will go towards travel expenses, copays, future treatments that will be needed that may not be covered by insurance and other unexpected expenses that we may not have encounter yet. No amount is too small, every dollar will help.
God Bless,
Erica Lui
My niece Margaret is a 20 year old vibrant, intelligent and ambitious young woman studying at Stony Brook University pursuing a double major in marine vertebrate biology and psychology expecting to graduate May of 2020. She is the eldest of three children by my twin sister Karen and we are as close as you would imagine twins could be (e.g. we live next door to each other) so Margaret is like my own daughter. My two kids consider her their older sister especially my daughter Jadyn. Jadyn and Margaret couldn’t be closer if they were sisters. Needless to say, both families have been and will always be very close. We’ve always been there for each other and it’s all we’ve ever known. Everyone else in our immediate family has passed away with the exception of our older sister Kerry who lives in Florida with our other niece Tara.
It all started just two weeks before Margaret was diagnosed when she woke up one morning after a long night of studying and noticed swelling on the right side of her neck. We initially thought she may have had mono because she was always tired and because I was diagnosed with it and had similar symptoms not too long ago. While waiting to hear back from the family doctor for blood test results the swelling suddenly felt firm to the touch and soon Margaret felt a pulsing in the lump so we decided to take her immediately to the ER at Stony Brook University Hospital. They ran routine blood tests and a CT scan to evaluate what we now know were enlarged lymph nodes. After waiting hours but when desperate for answers it seemed more like days, we were notified that the doctor wanted a biopsy and panic soon set in. The doctor at Stony Brook told us they think it’s Lymphoma. Being that it was Easter weekend we had to wait until Monday to get answers. It was the hardest weekend of our lives. We reached out to everyone we could to try and get the best medical care. With the help from extended family, (thank you Patricia) who reached out to a connection at Memorial Sloan Kettering we were set up with an appointment immediately. Numerous tests and PET scan were examined by the best doctors in the field and then the devastating news that Margaret has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was finally confirmed. Our hearts were heavy and emotions ran high at times with disbelief and extreme sadness to anger and heartbreak knowing that all of our lives will be disrupted from this point on especially Margaret’s. All the hard work that she’s put forth to reach her goals is snatched away and put on hold in an instant. She won’t be able to continue her studies, or work and she’ll likely spend her 21st birthday in recovery from the most recent treatment. A million questions raced through our minds wondering all the whys, whens, what ifs and then as if it wasn’t enough, the topic of fertility was brought to our attention. It was probably the furthest from all the concerns that flooded our brains. However, it’s a topic many at this age affected by this disease must consider because chances of getting pregnant for someone that has to go through chemotherapy is extremely slim unless the eggs are harvested before treatment starts. Even then, there are no guarantees, Unfortunately, the risks of delaying treatment outweigh the potential options so she decided to move forward with chemo ASAP regardless and take her chances.
May 6th, 2019 was Margaret’s first treatment and it was a long and emotional day. Her treatment plan is aggressive. Margaret will have a full day of chemo every other week in order for her body to have time to heal and receive blood transfusions between treatments. Sloan is about 60 miles from where we live so the drive involves sitting in traffic for nearly two to three hours each way, it is a small price to pay to receive the best treatment. Margaret is blessed to have an amazing team of doctors in the pediatric unit that will treat and could even cure this form of cancer. We also feel very lucky to be surrounded by what little family we have and all the friends that have been there for support.
I created this GoFundMe page in the hopes that we can raise funds to help Karen. She is a single parent that will have to miss many days of work. The funds that are raised will go towards travel expenses, copays, future treatments that will be needed that may not be covered by insurance and other unexpected expenses that we may not have encounter yet. No amount is too small, every dollar will help.
God Bless,
Erica Lui
Organizer
Erica Dunne Lui
Organizer
Lake Grove, NY