Support Winnie and Edwin’s Fight Against Cancer

On behalf of the Concepcion family I am here to share their story and kindly ask for your support in helping them navigate through a series of unfortunate  and unimaginable events.

 

On November 18, 2021 Winnie was diagnosed with late stage lung cancer that metastasized to her spine. On Nov 23, 2021 she was taken to the ER because she had trouble breathing. She was immediately moved to the ICU as her condition worsened. Doctors determined that she has multiple complications with her lungs. They also found multiple lung nodules and blood clots. She is unable to breathe on her own and is currently on high flow nasal cannula oxygen as well as a BiPap mask. The cancer is causing liquid to accumulate in both lungs so she frequently requires a procedure called thoracentesis to remove the liquid. She also had liquid around her heart and had a procedure done to drain the fluid. She began chemotherapy on November 30th with plans for more rounds of chemo in the following weeks/months. She has a long road ahead as doctors figure out the best treatment plan for her.

 

Although she is still currently in the ICU, we are thankful that she is getting the treatment and care that she needs. We are hopeful that she becomes stable enough to breathe on her own so she can come home to be with her family.

 

Those who know Winnie know that she is a kind-hearted, giving, compassionate and hard working woman. It’s evident that her superpower is caring for others. She has been a nurse for over 35 years and absolutely loves and enjoys her job. She truly has the biggest heart and always puts others before herself.

 

Earlier this year Edwin (Winnie’s husband) was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer that metastasized to his bones. Since his diagnosis in February 2021 he has undergone numerous treatments and continues treatments to this day. He had a thyroidectomy to remove his thyroid. He’s had 2 sessions of Radioactive Iodine treatment which required a 2 day hospital stay each session. He needs continuous radiation treatment. He’s had a total of 17 sessions already and is scheduled for more this coming January. He requires bone treatment once a month due to bone loss. Unfortunately, the radiation weakened his throat and caused him to have difficultly swallowing so he had a Gastrostomy which is a procedure to insert a feeding tube. He has speech therapy once a week to strengthen his throat. He has shown great progress and his doctor is confident that he will be able to slowly ween off the feeding tube. He also needs physical therapy to gain strength back as he has become very weak.

 

Edwin has been unable to work since his diagnosis. Their daughter Chrystine who is also a nurse has been unable to work as she has become a full time care-giver for Edwin. She accompanies him to his appointments, treatments, hospital stays, etc. Their son Erwin who lives 2 hours away has been able to assist on weekends as he works full time during the week and has also been going to school. With Winnie’s current condition and diagnosis, he will be taking time off work to help care for his parents.

 

As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for the Concepcion family. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see Winnie and Edwin deal with any form of pain and suffering.

 

The goal of this fund is to help ease this time of financial uncertainty due to being unable to work for extended periods. Donations collected will help cover mounting medical bills, ongoing treatments for both Winnie & Edwin, and the daily challenges that the family will be facing.

 

We thank you in advance for your support, prayers, loving and healing thoughts for Winnie, Edwin and their family.

 

With deepest love and gratitude,

Kay (Winnie & Edwin’s daughter-in-law)