Hello, my name is Lisa. I am a 47-year-old mother of 2. I'll make this as short and detailed as possible.

In March of 2025, I was diagnosed with stage 4 Gastric Cancer. I had a full gastrectomy, which is the removal of the entire stomach. During my surgery, cancer was found in my esophagus. I did pre-op chemo and post-op chemo and radiation. From the cancer and radiation, my esophagus has been very damaged. This causes me to regurgitate my food. My esophagus also has spasms and feels like you're being repeatedly hit in the chest. These happen mostly in the middle of the night.

On January 15th (also my late father's birthday), I was told after my scans, bloodwork, etc., that I show no evidence of cancer. As exciting as this news is, I need to have my esophagus replaced, called an esophagectomy. This is where they take a portion of your large intestine and replace your esophagus. It's a very intense, extensive, and expensive surgery. I have lost 80 lbs in this process from not being able to keep food down, which was also my first and only sign that something was wrong. Never suspected cancer, but here I am, making the best of the situation I've been handed.

I currently live in GA but am having the surgery at MD Anderson in Houston, TX. This has been a big and unexpected expense from traveling back and forth as I'm also not able to work at this time. Any and all support is appreciated to help me get a new esophagus. This will save (as the weight loss is very unhealthy) and change my life. Thank you for caring enough to read. Much love!!