My name is Thania Ruffin. I am 55 years old, I am married to a wonderful man, I have 3 children - a 28 year old girl and two young men- one of 19 and 20 years who are now in college....I am a three time cancer survivor. Here is my story...

In 2013 my life changed. Doctors found a mass which they operated on and it turned out to be cancer (non-Hodgkins lymphoma). It felt like the world collapsed. The first thing I thought of was my children - how to give them the news of that magnitude? My chemo treatment was intense. My left kidneywas not working well, only 25% because of the mass. So they had to treat my kidneys first so I could eliminate all that poison that is chemo therapy. I remember that I prayed a lot and held onto god. He gave me the strength I needed to fight and not give up. That's why I thank God, I could not win without his help.

In 2015, I was diagnosed with cancer again in one of my control appointments. The doctor told me that the mass was growing again. History was repeated again. I had kidney problems again and stronger chemotherapy. I had a transfusion of my cells. They took it out, cleaned it and put it back into me - it was a very difficult few months. Again, I clung to my god who gave me the strength to bear it. I returned home with my family after being hospitalized for 3 weeks.

December 2016, a year after having performed the transplant - we thought that everything was okay. Again in my control appointment the doctor tells me that the mass has returned, grew and was more aggressive. I could not believe that I was going through this yet again. I could not give up  and with the help of God and the doctors will go out again in victory. The doctor told me we would need to proceed with chemo treatments again and the only thing that was left is another bone marrow transplant from a donor. I was referred to the hospital in Baltimore  (Johns Hopkins). Because of the distance, the doctors of John Hopkins recommended that I stay as close as possible after the therapies and the transplant. I would have appointments every day and I could not be far from the hospital in case of some emergencies. My husband rented one of the apartments that is connected/affiliated to the hospital (long term lodging). Because of my cancer I had to leave my job working for a clinic that assists low income families with no medical insurance.  It was a joy helping those with less resorces. My husband has health problems too and that is why he had to retire. The cost of treatments, surgeries and housing (on top of our usual everyday bills) has been hard to keep up with - we have almost no savings.

I ask you, from the bottom of my heart to understand me and if you could please  help me with in any way you can. My family and I are so grateful in this moment of crisis. Thank you and god bless you.