This September 2019, I listened as my mother’s Oncologist uttered the dreaded words "you have cancer." My step-dad Jeff, my sister Roslynn, and three of her best friends listened to the doctor explain that she had incurable stage 4 liver cancer that had metastasized near the spine. The doctor explained that her best option for treatment was to take part in a clinical trial at OHSU Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. She would be able to take advantage of targeted therapy and immuno-therapy, which combined were showing promising results. She would also undergo aggressive radiation to shrink the tumor near her spine to provide pain relief. We felt confident that the growth would slow and she could have a good quality of life as she navigated life with cancer. My mom, Tanya, was scheduled to begin the clinical trials and was three days into her radiation treatment when the unthinkable happened. She went to get out of bed and couldn't feel her legs. We rushed her to the ER where she had emergency surgery on her spine. The tumor had pushed into her spinal cord and caused paralysis from the waist down. While they were not able to remove the tumor, doctors did remove several pieces of spinal bone to provide additional room for swelling to relieve pressure on the spinal cord. The paralysis disqualified mom from the clinical trials. Instead she will begin immuno-therapy treatment next week as palliative care. She has spent the past 2 months confined to a hospital room followed by an intensive inpatient rehabilitation facility and was released from rehab the day before thanksgiving. My stepdad was hopeful that the two of us could care for her properly, but we quickly learned that providing around-the-clock care for someone who is paralyzed is beyond our emotional, financial, psychological, and physical means.
     
We really need help right now- in fact, a cascade of health issues have plagued my mom and stepdad since November 2018, when Jeff (mom’s husband) had a heart attack, after which my mom fell and broke her hip and her shoulder three weeks later, and then in another nine months she would be diagnosed with cancer and become paralyzed. And to top it all off, last week Jeff had rotator cuff surgery. I’m not even kidding. Not only are the out-of-pocket medical expenses leaving them bankrupt, critical care items like wheelchair transport to and from doctor and immuno-therapy appointments are not covered by insurance. Physical and occupational therapy 2 days a week are provided for only 2 months. What is absolutely needed most and not covered by their insurance is in-home care-giving. Friends and family can only do so much, especially with the type of care required. At this time her husband is unable to lift her, and when healed from his surgery he will need to return to work to keep their insurance.
 
  Anyone who knows my mother, knows that she is a bright light in this world. She has endured trauma and hardships that most will never know, yet she has remained one of the most loving and compassionate human beings I have ever known. Growing up there were times we had nothing, yet if someone needed a hot meal my mom was there for them. I can't tell you how many holidays our home was filled with people who had nowhere else to go. In the past 10 years alone, I have seen her and Jeff take in and care for family and friends in need of end-of-life care and friends who just needed temporary help. Tanya is a wife, mother, grandmother, and an amazing friend to so many and wants to spend the rest of her days living life and enjoying those whom she loves and who love her back. For these reasons, my sister Roslynn,  and I along with our step-sisters Stefanie, Sheila, and Devin are reaching out to our village and beyond asking for help.

This fundraiser will immediately help support my mother and her husband by providing trained caregivers for her when needed, medical transport to her treatment and doctor appointments, help with medical supplies and medications, and maybe just maybe we could fulfill her dream of a family vacation at the Oregon Coast before it's no longer an option. 

With love, gratitude and blessings, 
Morgana Ricardo , Roslynn Briggs
Stefanie Ramunno-Johnson, Devin McFeron & Sheila Phares-Brown