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TEAM JALILA

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              Jalila Jones is a 32-year-old professional dancer, choreographer and fitness instructor who has been living and working in Dubai for the past 4.5 years. On December 17, 2019, she was diagnosed with Stage II/Grade II invasive ductal breast cancer with lobular features. This is a moderately aggressive and extremely rare type of cancer, especially given Jalila’s age. As a point of reference, Lobular cancer affects ten percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer age sixty years and over
            On January 18, 2020, with her mother at her side, Jalila underwent three surgeries. One of the surgeries was added on by her surgical team only a few days prior--they discovered a 5.5-centimeter uterine tumor that would need to be removed right away. She was in surgery for five hours and hospitalized for four days. Jalila is currently in severe pain, has limited range of motion, nerve damage in her left underarm and walking is extremely challenging.
          Now that the initial surgeries are complete (Lumpectomy, Myomectomy, and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy) , Jalila is preparing for the longer fight to remove all cancer cells, and needs your help!
        Because of her cancer diagnosis she has accrued costs exceeding her income; hospital bills from surgery, surgical equipment not covered by her insurance , insurance co-pays, and pharmaceutical bills. Her oncology team recommends a 6-8 week leave of absence. At the time of this posting, Jalila’s annual sick leave expired although she is only two weeks post-surgery. This means that she will have to take time off without pay. She will also have to take time off for her mandatory cancer treatments that include: Physiotherapy, Radiation therapy, Hormone therapy and Chemotherapy.
         Jalila dreams of one day having a child, she will incur the costs of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatments ($10,000-$15,000 per cycle, 3 cycles recommended), to protect her reproductive system from the upcoming aggressive, but mandatory cancer treatments. Jalila will have to see a fertility doctor, with a sub-speciality in oncology (the study and treatment of cancer and tumors). She will then immediately freeze and store her eggs and begin treatment. Once Jalila completes minimum 4-5 years of consistent hormone therapy, (a breast cancer treatment for patients whose cancer cells are hormone positive, affects of this treatment is early onset menopause, for the duration you are prescribed to take the pills)  she can take a small break, fertilize her eggs, and have a child. After giving birth, she must immediately return to treatment until she completes a total of 7-10 years of hormone therapy.
         Also recommended by her surgical team, which is NOT covered by her insurance, Jalila must undergo breast reconstruction surgery, because she lost 35% of her left breast from the lumpectomy. Breast Reconstruction Cost in Dubai  starts from AED 50,000($13500) and can increase depending upon the type of treatment you have opted for. It has got immense importance for the people who have successfully recovered from the cursed breast cancer. Fat can also be grafted into the breast to reconstruct it. The cost of the combination of implant and flap breast reconstruction at Breast Surgery Clinic Dubai starts from 100,000AED ($28,000) for one breast.
         We’ve created this page with the hopes that we can alleviate some of the financial burden as she undergoes the biggest fight of her life. Anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting Jalila quickly understands that her presence lights up all rooms. One can always count on her to find the silver lining in all things. Her diagnosis is no different. She is using this moment to pour in to others by sharing her journey publicly—lets show her how much we appreciate her courage by donating what you can.


 

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Donations 

  • Marsha Sahadi
    • $50 (Offline)
    • 4 yrs
  • Hanadi Merchant
    • $35 (Offline)
    • 4 yrs
  • Iman Abdel Khalek
    • $200 (Offline)
    • 4 yrs
  • Mouna Malek
    • $200 (Offline)
    • 4 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $100 (Offline)
    • 4 yrs
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Organizer

William Jones
Organizer
Hackensack, NJ

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