TEAM LIZ DUNKER GIBSON
Donation protected
THE STORY:
This is Liz.
Liz is a daughter to Bette.
Liz is a single mom to Jake.
Liz is a sister to Brad and Janet.
Liz is a self-employed businesswoman.
Liz is a fighter.
Liz Dunker Gibson is an inspiration to everyone she knows.
Be like Liz.
On July 10, 2014, eleven months after a hysterectomy, Liz was diagnosed with a form of soft tissue cancer. Leiomyosarcoma is an extremely rare form of cancer, and accounts for 5–10% of soft tissue sarcomas, which are in themselves relatively rare. Leiomyosarcomas can be very unpredictable. It is a resistant cancer, meaning generally not very responsive to chemotherapy or radiation. The best outcomes occur when it can be removed surgically early, while small. This was not possible for Liz.
When Liz was diagnosed, she had one clear goal in mind. STAY ALIVE to see her son, Jake, a sophomore, graduate from high school. Jake was 15 at the time her battle with cancer began.
During the first year, Liz endured numerous rounds of chemotherapy that included 3 extended stays in the hospital, a brief stay in hospice and numerous infusions at outpatient centers. Over the course of 11 months, Liz amassed over $100,000 in medical bills NOT covered by insurance!
In the second year of Liz’s fight with cancer, she traveled to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas to participate in a clinical trial. Her doctors believed this would be her best hope to stay alive long enough to see Jake walk the aisle in a cap and gown. After a few months, Liz left the clinical trial because her tumors were only growing larger. She even traveled to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC to consult with an oncological surgeon, to no avail. Back home in Atlanta, she resumed chemotherapy. Meanwhile, the bills kept mounting.
Now Liz is in the third year of this fight for her life and Jake is a senior at Roswell High School. The newest doctors on her team have decided to perform SURGERY to remove as many tumors as possible. And if she is a good candidate, Liz will receive HIPEC, a form of chemotherapy during surgery. Once her doctors have removed all visible tumors, the surgeon will continuously circulate a heated, sterile chemotherapy solution throughout the peritoneal cavity for up to 90 minutes. The HIPEC procedure is designed to attempt to kill any remaining cancer cells that cannot be seen. The solution is then removed and the incision closed. Liz is scheduled to have this procedure on Wednesday, the 19th of October.
Obviously, this surgery and promising chemo will add an enormous amount to her ever-growing medical bills. During Liz’s battle so many of her family, friends, neighbors and clients have been overwhelmingly generous with meals, gifts, prayers and all manner of kindness. And many of you have expressed a willingness to help her with some of her expenses. Now Liz is ready to accept your financial help!
This is the FIRST fundraiser for Liz Dunker Gibson. If you feel led to donate and are able to … Liz and her entire family will be so grateful! And if you wish to spread the word, please share this fundraiser on your Facebook and Twitter pages. As always, keep Liz in your thoughts and prayers, especially in the coming days while she is preparing for surgery. Thank you all for your consideration.
This is Liz.
Liz is a daughter to Bette.
Liz is a single mom to Jake.
Liz is a sister to Brad and Janet.
Liz is a self-employed businesswoman.
Liz is a fighter.
Liz Dunker Gibson is an inspiration to everyone she knows.
Be like Liz.
On July 10, 2014, eleven months after a hysterectomy, Liz was diagnosed with a form of soft tissue cancer. Leiomyosarcoma is an extremely rare form of cancer, and accounts for 5–10% of soft tissue sarcomas, which are in themselves relatively rare. Leiomyosarcomas can be very unpredictable. It is a resistant cancer, meaning generally not very responsive to chemotherapy or radiation. The best outcomes occur when it can be removed surgically early, while small. This was not possible for Liz.
When Liz was diagnosed, she had one clear goal in mind. STAY ALIVE to see her son, Jake, a sophomore, graduate from high school. Jake was 15 at the time her battle with cancer began.
During the first year, Liz endured numerous rounds of chemotherapy that included 3 extended stays in the hospital, a brief stay in hospice and numerous infusions at outpatient centers. Over the course of 11 months, Liz amassed over $100,000 in medical bills NOT covered by insurance!
In the second year of Liz’s fight with cancer, she traveled to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas to participate in a clinical trial. Her doctors believed this would be her best hope to stay alive long enough to see Jake walk the aisle in a cap and gown. After a few months, Liz left the clinical trial because her tumors were only growing larger. She even traveled to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC to consult with an oncological surgeon, to no avail. Back home in Atlanta, she resumed chemotherapy. Meanwhile, the bills kept mounting.
Now Liz is in the third year of this fight for her life and Jake is a senior at Roswell High School. The newest doctors on her team have decided to perform SURGERY to remove as many tumors as possible. And if she is a good candidate, Liz will receive HIPEC, a form of chemotherapy during surgery. Once her doctors have removed all visible tumors, the surgeon will continuously circulate a heated, sterile chemotherapy solution throughout the peritoneal cavity for up to 90 minutes. The HIPEC procedure is designed to attempt to kill any remaining cancer cells that cannot be seen. The solution is then removed and the incision closed. Liz is scheduled to have this procedure on Wednesday, the 19th of October.
Obviously, this surgery and promising chemo will add an enormous amount to her ever-growing medical bills. During Liz’s battle so many of her family, friends, neighbors and clients have been overwhelmingly generous with meals, gifts, prayers and all manner of kindness. And many of you have expressed a willingness to help her with some of her expenses. Now Liz is ready to accept your financial help!
This is the FIRST fundraiser for Liz Dunker Gibson. If you feel led to donate and are able to … Liz and her entire family will be so grateful! And if you wish to spread the word, please share this fundraiser on your Facebook and Twitter pages. As always, keep Liz in your thoughts and prayers, especially in the coming days while she is preparing for surgery. Thank you all for your consideration.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jacob Gibson
Organizer
Roswell, GA
Jacob Gibson
Beneficiary