In January of 2025, our lives were turned upside down when our mom was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer. She spent nearly two months in the hospital due to severe complications caused by the cancer. We later learned that the disease had spread to her pancreas and liver, creating additional challenges — including a serious blockage in her bile duct that required emergency surgery and the placement of a port.

Thankfully, she began chemotherapy soon after. While we’re grateful for the chance to fight, chemo has brought its own set of painful and exhausting symptoms that have deeply impacted her quality of life. Since starting treatment, she has lost over 70 pounds and is struggling to maintain the strength she needs to keep going.

Shortly after starting chemotherapy, she developed an enlarged abdominal lymph node that hasn’t responded to treatment, and her care team attempted radiation therapy to try to control it. Another complication arose when she was diagnosed with a perforated gallbladder, a serious and life-threatening condition.

Unfortunately, her condition has recently worsened in the past few months, and she has now been placed in hospice care.

My dad, who lost his job during the pandemic, has been doing his best to support my mom emotionally and physically. However, both of my parents are now living off of social security, and their limited income doesn’t cover the high copays and out-of-pocket expenses that come with frequent doctor visits, medications, home care, and extended hospital stays. The financial burden has become overwhelming.

It’s incredibly difficult to ask for help, but any contribution — no matter how small — would mean the world to our family. Your support will go toward my mom’s medical bills, prescriptions, transportation to and from appointments, and any other care she may need during this fight.

Thank you so much for reading, and for standing with us during this incredibly hard time.