Help Me Get to New Orleans for Cancer Testing

I have been living with pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer for years, and I now need to return to New Orleans for important testing and follow-up.

This trip is not optional. I have gone too long without the specialized surveillance I need, and I am now dealing with worsening fatigue, pain, weakness, gastrointestinal symptoms, and other health problems that have made daily life extremely difficult.

In September, I have to drive several hours to New Orleans, stay for several nights, and spend a full day at the hospital undergoing testing. I had hoped very much that someone would be able to come with me, but I now know I will be making this trip alone.

That is frightening for me to admit.

The physical part of the trip is hard enough. I am already struggling with severe fatigue and pain, and long drives take a tremendous amount out of me. But there is also the emotional reality of going through cancer testing and potentially receiving difficult news without a family member beside me.

I do not know what the scans will show, and I am trying not to assume the worst. What I do know is that I need to get there.

The expenses include:

* Travel and gas to New Orleans

* Hotel for several nights

* Parking

* Food while I am there

* Medical expenses

* Additional costs related to trying to re-establish care and find a safe, stable place to live

I am living on a fixed income, and these expenses are coming at a time when I am already stretched extremely thin financially.

It is very hard for me to ask for help again. I wish I were in a position to simply handle all of this myself. But right now I am trying to do everything I can to stay in medical care and keep moving forward.

If you are able to donate, any amount will help. If you cannot donate, sharing this fundraiser would mean just as much to me.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping me get through this next part.

Many of you helped me during earlier stages of my illness, and I will never forget that support. This is a new fundraiser for the medical travel and care I am facing now.