Tanya and how I want to remember her

This is a hard update for me as I am sitting beside Tanya in the ICU in the hospital. We called in hospice this morning. The above picture is how I want to remember Tanya. We were age 5 and 3 in the picture and seemed to prefer no clothes. We took her off the ventilator yesterday as she passed her breathing tests. All her vitals looked good at first. She could look us in the eyes, even though she wasn't talking. She could sense our presence. Although her heart rate and blood pressure are good, her breathing has become erratic, meaning she is taking many short breaths per minute. She requires continuous morphine. She is unresponsive now and hard to see. It really only is a matter of time. Tanya loved fiercely. She loved her husband Mike. She loved her daughter Tiana and sons Donivan and Nicholas and adored her grandbabies - Kellen and Myla. She loved to dance and would light up a room. She loved the Lord. We are thankful she won't be in pain anymore and that she will be reunited with Mom, Dad and our brother Troy. Mike is losing a second income, so if you feel led, please donate to the Go Fund Me and share. Thank you for your love, prayers and support. - Trish

I wanted to update everyone since I first started this Go Fund Me for my sister, Tanya, who has now suffered from cancer for 11 years. She has made a drastic decline in the last two weeks. Last week, she went to the hospital when she felt like she was choking. Food was found lodged in her esophagus. Tanya has strictures in her throat, as a result of her chemotherapies in the past. Because Tanya is becoming malnourished and losing so much weight, the surgery took place to insert a feeding tube. Although Tanya wasn't thrilled, she was looking forward to gaining some weight and being home in time for her birthday this past Tuesday. Then on Monday of this week, she was taken to the hospital after she became very short of breath. It wasn't long before Tanya was transferred to ICU. She was put on CPAP machine to help her breathe, but her CO2 levels dramatically increased. It was determined, Tanya needed to be put on a ventilator. She has pneumonia in both lungs and there is suspicious inflammation in her left lung. The doctors think the inflammation was caused by keytruda, her latest cancer immunotherapy. Thankfully after Tanya was put on a ventilator, the doctors were able to perform a bronchoscopy to determine what was blocking her airflow. They found a large mucus plug and once they cleared that, her levels increased. The doctors also took a chunk of her lung to determine the infection/inflammation. We are waiting for those results. Tanya is sedated and on a ventilator. The prayer is that she will be able to eventually come off the ventilator and breath on her own. Tanya is still in a dangerous and critical position. Her husband, Mike, is working so many hours to stay afloat. Your support would be of great assistance. Please consider. $5 is not too little. Every little bit counts.

Hi, my name is Trish and I am putting this Go Fund Me together for my sister, Tanya Ellis. She has been fighting cancer for 10 years now. Tanya started with breast cancer 10 years ago and had a mastectomy. She was able to get reconstruction but had to be removed when cancer developed under. Tanya is now fighting her 4th cancer occurrence in 10 years. Her PET scan this week showed new areas of cancer and progression. This was devastating news for Tanya, but her faith remains strong!!! Tanya goes through chemotherapy EVERY Friday. She has therapy every couple of weeks to strengthen her bones, but it can cause extreme fatigue and nausea. Tanya has also developed problems with her thyroid and weight loss. She struggles to eat, maintain weight or have an appetite. Tanya's thinning hair also makes it tough to feel normal. Tanya loves the Lord and relies on HIS AMAZING peace and strength every day. But it is still hard. I am humbled by her perseverance and strong faith. What reason could I even have to complain???

As you can imagine, medical bills are outrageous. Tanya has had days where going to work has been difficult. Praise God, the hospital found a desk job to reduce physical labor. Regardless, money has been tight. Her husband, Mike, has been working overtime and in the "on-call" position to help with expenses. In his words, "I am trying to buy wigs and clothing to help her feel pretty". Tanya doesn't know her timeline - doesn't she deserve to feel pretty and even get the chance to do fun things? Mike said, "It is so nice to see Tanya have fun, spend time with friends and ride on the motorcycle." They are hoping to journey to Bike Week, God willing. Little things like that may seem small to you and me, but how would we live our days differently if we couldn't forecast our future?

I'm asking for any support you can provide. Maybe it's the $5 you were going to spend to eat out for lunch or the $20 you were going to spend on entertainment this weekend. No amount is too little. Would you consider a donation? Also, feel free to share the post. I can't thank you enough!!