Support Tricia McCarty's Fight Against Cancer

Tricia McCarty, a beloved mother and care consultant, was diagnosed quite unexpectedly with stage 4 cancer late in August. This Go Fund Me will support Tricia and her family as they go through a very difficult time by providing much needed financial relief as ongoing treatment plans are discussed.

Tricia is the mother of two grown children and has worked with Visiting Angels since 2015, providing in-home health care for dozens of patients. Her daughters and those she cares for are always at the top of her priority list, and she has set her own needs aside time and time again for the sake of those in need. Throughout her time with Visiting Angels, she has always gone above and beyond to help those she cares for, even when it means working extra hours. She has been there for so many in their hour of need– now it is our turn to be there for her.

Here are a few more details for those wondering how this came to be so suddenly:

On July 29th, Tricia was admitted to the hospital for indigestion and jaundice. She had visited multiple urgent care clinics before being sent to the emergency room where she could be better treated for what the doctors assumed was not much more than some gallstones. However, after two failed procedures and extensive scans and bloodwork, the doctors discovered what appeared to be a mass near her liver. A hasty but critical decision was made to perform surgery on Tricia in order to get a better look and possibly remove the gall bladder.

She went into surgery late on the night of August 1st, with her family anxiously awaiting more answers. When the doctors opened her up, they were shocked to find that the mass they had spotted on the scans was much bigger than they thought, and was affecting multiple organs, including the liver, pancreas, stomach, small intestine, and gall bladder. They also found that the gallbladder was hard, enlarged, and stuck to the liver by the mass. In light of this and other complicating factors, the doctors determined that it was too dangerous to continue with the original surgery plan, so instead they opted to simply remove what they could of the mass. While doing so, they discovered yet another complication– the mass had created an unrepairable hole in the small intestine. They had no choice but to reconstruct by removing a portion of the small intestine and stomach.

In the days following surgery, all focus went towards keeping Tricia’s pain as low as possible until the labs came back. When they did, the news was not good. Tricia was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic carcinoma of unknown origin.

After nearly three weeks in the hospital, Tricia was released to go home. She is now in the care of her daughter while treatment plans are discussed. When we know more about what future treatment will look like, we will update this page.

Any contribution is much appreciated! If you are unable to give financially, please consider sharing this page with your family and friends. If you have any tips for healthy weight gain or input on treatment plans going forward, you are welcome to share them, but we do ask on behalf of Tricia and her family that all comments stay in the GoFundMe forum, rather than going to the family directly. Let’s show Tricia our love and support by giving her and her family some space during this sensitive time. Thank you!