Support Val's Fight Against Reoccurring Tumors

My friend Valerie recently received the scary news that she has multiple tumors on her brain and spinal cord. Val is a wonderful wife to her husband Vito and an amazing mother to 3 children- Vincent, Carmine, and Adrienne. Val is truly a mother hen, always caring for others and never asking for help in return. It is my hope to relieve her of the financial burden her medical bills will incur so that she can focus on healing. We are asking for financial support and prayers for Valerie and her family through this difficult time. Here is Val’s story.

In February of 2010, Valerie underwent three surgeries plus six weeks of photon radiation treatment to eradicate tumors on the pineal gland in her brain. Her 10-day hospital stay followed by daily travel for post-op treatments took a toll on her and her family but was effective. Val’s son Carmine was just a newborn, and her oldest son Vincent was only 2.5 years old. Val said that Vincent was very brave when his mom was in the hospital, and one of her happiest moments was when he saw her for the first time when she returned home. Val will never forget Vincent’s look of surprise and relief that his mom had come home to him.

Sadly, after scans and testing, in September 2021, Val found out that her original tumor resurfaced, and a 2nd tumor had developed behind her left eye. Two additional tumors were also found on her spinal cord. Surgeons performed a biopsy to confirm that the new brain tumor was the same type of tumor as the original tumor so that they could administer a similar type of treatment.

However, a second round of photon radiation treatment greatly increases the chances for complications, such as blindness, losing the ability to swallow, or could possibly even put her in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Val’s neurosurgeon recommended that she undergo proton therapy as a safer alternative. This newer type of radiation therapy uses high-powered energy from positively charged particles (protons) to treat certain tumors. Studies have shown that proton therapy affects less healthy tissue and causes fewer side effects than traditional radiation because doctors can better control where the proton beams deliver their highest concentration of energy.

Proton therapy is still new, and not all insurances cover it. It is much safer because it targets only the bad cells, unlike photon therapy which affects all tissue. Val’s treatment has just begun. She will travel to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia five days per week for six weeks. She will not know if this treatment is effective until she has been finished for about 3-4 months because the radiation will continue to work in her body even after the treatments are done. If treatment is successful, Val will need to have annual MRIs and X-rays for the rest of her life, with only an 8% chance that the tumors will reoccur. Val is still waiting to find out if she will need additional treatment for the tumors on her spinal cord.

Even after treatment, it is hard to know exactly what the side effects will be and if Val will be able to live and work as she has in the past. Val currently has a lot of pain in her eye due to the location of a tumor. She keeps her eye closed most of the time to alleviate the pain and blurriness. She will need special glasses made to correct her double vision. She also has pain in the back of her head behind her eye, and she has back pain from the tumors on her spinal cord. Before the discovery of her tumors, Val had started a new accounting job that she was very excited about. Unfortunately, if her eye does not improve, it will affect her ability to work. Val’s son Vincent is now 14; Carmine is almost 12, and Adrienne is 10. They are all involved in sports and school activities that Val has been missing. Val’s husband Vito owns his own landscaping company, and thankfully Val’s treatments will begin during his slower season, allowing him to help her with daily transit to the hospital.

Losing Valerie is not an option for any of us. This ordeal has been an emotional and financial burden for Valerie and her family. Her much-needed proton treatment is expensive, and healthcare insurance will most likely not cover it. She needs to get the best treatment as soon as possible that carries the least amount of risk and long-term side effects. Valerie and her family still have a long road ahead, but they remain positive and are trusting in God’s plan. She is also supported by a large and loving extended family and many long-time friends. We are asking for your support by donating to Valerie’s GoFundMe site to help offset the cost of treatment and being out of work and help her achieve a complete recovery.

If you have any words of encouragement, please post them here for her to read. Thank you so very much for reading and for your consideration of this cause.