Support Sierra and Her Family Through Cancer and Recovery

Dear friends, family, and community,

I am asking for your help for my dear friend Sierra, who is bravely battling Stage 3 Ampullary cancer (a rare form of pancreatic biliary cancer) that has spread to her pancreas, gallbladder, small intestine and lymph nodes.

Sierra was diagnosed in November 2025 and has had multiple hospitalizations and needs our help. Please take the time to read her story.

Sierra has been, to me personally, one of the greatest gifts and blessings in my life. Our friendship was born out of total and complete unconditional love—a bond that has only deepened over the past 15 years as we have shared and stood by each other in the best times of our lives and the most devastating ones.

She is a devoted, all-in friend, mother, and wife who gives of herself for the sake of giving. She loves deeply, honestly, and wholeheartedly; a love that is felt by all that are blessed and lucky enough to know her. She deeply loves and honors her life, her family, friends, and above all, her faith in God.

For someone who gives so much to others, I am asking for your support now as Sierra and her family face the journey ahead.

How to Help Sierra and Her Family

This diagnosis has brought immense emotional and financial strain on her family. Sierra was a vital source of income for her household and has been unable to work since her cancer diagnosis. Her husband, Ryan, who is self-employed, has also missed work while supporting her, making it difficult to keep up with bills and expenses.

In the next month, Sierra may have to undergo major surgery to remove the cancer (see more details in Sierra’s Journey). This is an extensive surgery followed by a long recovery of up to four to six months. After that, she will begin chemotherapy. As part of her continued fight they will need help with finances, as she will be unable to work during this time and Ryan being the sole provider may be affected as he supports her.

They are doing their best to stay strong for their daughters. Ruby (14) is a high school freshman and a dedicated club volleyball player. Charlotte (19) lives on her own but still needs financial support from her parents.

Medical bills are piling up, and lost wages have created a serious financial crisis. We are asking for your support to help cover:

• Medical and surgery-related expenses

• Travel and temporary stay in Utah for surgery and recovery

• Household bills during this extended loss of income

• Support for Ruby’s club volleyball

We also deeply appreciate your prayers, love, and encouragement during this incredibly difficult time.

Any donation or share truly makes a difference.

Thank you for standing with Sierra, Ryan, and their family.

________________________________________

Sierra’s Journey

Over the past four months of her journey, I have had the privilege of witnessing what Sierra and Ryan have gone through. Despite the immense challenges they’ve faced—and those still to come—they have met each difficult moment with strength, courage, humor, and tears. Their resilience can only be rooted in deep faith and an abiding love for God and their family.

Her original diagnosis was shockingly devastating to her and her family. Sierra received this diagnosis on November 18, 2025, while being admitted to the ER following routine blood work that concerned her primary care physician. She had been losing weight rapidly and experiencing other issues like nausea, vomiting after meals, mild jaundice and intense skin itching.

At the ER, additional blood work showed elevated liver enzymes, high platelets (clotting blood cells), and high levels of cancer biomarkers. A CT scan of her abdomen revealed a tumor on her pancreas that had spread to her small intestine and gallbladder.

The next step, ordered by the attending physician, was a procedure to place metal stents to help unblock the bile and pancreatic ducts affected by the tumor and to relieve some of her symptoms. Unfortunately, during the procedure to restore bile duct flow, the surgeon perforated her small intestine, causing Sierra extreme pain and internal bleeding.

Sierra was airlifted from Idaho to Huntsman Cancer Hospital in Utah (a specialized hospital for her rare cancer diagnosis), where she was treated and recovered from the accidental perforation. The gastric surgeon at Huntsman Hospital attempted to remove the stent that had been placed in her small intestine but was unable to do so because it had already become embedded in her intestine. She stayed at Huntsman for five days before returning home to Idaho.

Since returning home, Sierra has been admitted to the hospital multiple times for complications related to the initial procedure:

• On November 24–25, just 48 hours after being discharged and returning home to Idaho, Sierra developed a high fever. Ryan took her to their local hospital, where she was admitted and treated for an infection related to the embedded stent and bile duct blockage.

• On December 8–9, Sierra was hospitalized again due to another infections from bile duct blockage.

• On December 22–24, she was admitted with sepsis (a systemic infection) caused by bile back-up. During this hospital admission she underwent a procedure to place improved stents and perform a “clean-up” to restore bile flow. This was performed by a new specialized gastric surgeon recommended by her medical oncologist. The procedure was successful, and she was finally infection-free and stabilized.

• On January 18, Sierra experienced abdominal pain that was concerning to her husband. They brought her to the hospital to perform a CT scan which showed Sierra had a large blood clot. They treated her with blood thinners and she was discharged the next day.

In mid-December, while managing complications from the initial procedure, Sierra began consulting with her medical oncologists in Idaho and an oncology surgeon at Huntsman to determine the best course of treatment. Her oncologist ordered a tumor biology analysis, which showed she was a candidate for immunotherapy. Based on his experience with this treatment and positive outcomes in similar patients, he recommended starting Keytruda (immunotherapy) on December 31, administered every three weeks for 12 weeks.

The oncologist and surgeon agreed to proceed with immunotherapy before scheduling surgery, hoping to reduce the tumor size and lymph node involvement. It was also important for Sierra to be stable, free from infection, inflammation and for her blood clot to resolve.

The primary first-line treatment for her type of cancer is a surgical procedure known as the Whipple surgery. This procedure involves partial removal of the pancreas, gallbladder, and portions of the small intestine and lymph nodes where the cancer has spread. It is a major surgery requiring a 1–2 week hospital stay in Utah, followed by 4–6 months of recovery and then chemotherapy.

In mid-February, after two Keytruda treatments and a final stent replacement with bile duct “clean-up,” Sierra began to feel better. Her weight stabilized, her blood work returned to normal limits, her energy improved, and she was able to resume some normal activities as a mom and begin feeling like herself again. This was encouraging news for her and her family after multiple hospital visits.

On March 19, Sierra’s lab results showed slight increases, indicating some bile duct backup, but no infection. She was scheduled for another “clean-up” procedure and a specialized CT scan ordered by her gastric surgeon in Utah to assess whether the abdominal blood clot had resolved and determine if the tumor is responding to immunotherapy treatments. Sierra continues to receive immunotherapy treatments and has remained infection-free. She is meeting with her oncology surgeon to determine if she is ready to move forward with scheduling the Whipple surgery depending on the results of the CT scan.

March 23 Update. Sierra and Ryan met with their surgeon today in Huntsman Utah. The surgeon told them the blood clot has resolved and that he see remarkable shrinking in the tumor size which he says is very positive, but is not happy with the quality of the CT scans, He wants them to come to Huntsman to get new CT scans to determine the next steps in Sierra’s treatment, but he did say this scan was something to celebrate. Sierra is scheduled to travel to Utah with Ryan for the CT scan April 7th. Needless to say to they were in shock and overwhelmed with emotion.

Again we thank you for prayers because they are working.