Help Sarah Fight Cancer

Hi, my name is Raymon and I’m fundraising on behalf of my Wife, Sarah Narez. On December 28th we welcomed our first child, a baby boy, James into our lives. From the moment we held him it was overwhelming love. But that moment was just that, a moment. In an instant I was swept out of the operating room with my son. What was supposed to have been a simple C section and appendectomy turned into Stage 3C Ovarian Cancer.

Sarahs pregnancy wasn’t without it’s hiccups. At about 7 weeks pregnant we rushed Sarah to the emergency room. She had been so distended her stomach looked like she was 37 weeks pregnant. Since it was our first time we chalked up the bloating, nausea and vomiting to being pregnant, or even twins, ha, because that would explain the size of her belly. Instead we found out that she had a cyst, and a massive one. When it was all said and done she had an 8 liter cyst drained that had grown on her right ovary. The lab results came back “borderline”, meaning it wasn’t cancer, but it wasn’t not-cancer.

From there we returned to the hospital every few weeks to get checked up and things seemed fine until about the 32 week mark, when the cyst had grown back, despite a chunk of the ovary being removed. After that the plan was to remove the rest of the ovary during our Sons C-section, remove the appendix since it was in close proximity of the questionable ovary, and if her other ovary and uterus had any cysts, they’d remove all of it just to be safe. Drastic but we were willing to do it if it was the safest option.

Instead, just a couple of hours after our son was born, as I held him in my arms, I was told by the surgeons who operated on her that her abdominal cavity was filled with tumors, from small to large, too numerous to count.

Since then the days and nights have blended together. What should be a season where Sarah recovers and bonds with our son has been immensely bittersweet. Our son is perfect, he is healthy, he is growing so well, and he is unquestionably loved by his family, especially his parents. We would be lying though, if in the quiet moments we wonder just how much of his life Sarah will get to see.

What we know; After having multiple oncologist look at the tumor samples, both from our current hospital, and several others, they are fairly confident it’s Ovarian Cancer, Stage 3C at that. There is a small chance it could be something else, but what we have been told by many is that it just isn’t behaving in a textbook manner. The current plan is to do 3 sessions of the strongest Chemotherapy drugs, scan her, do a 4th session if need be, then surgery. The surgery would be a total Hysterectomy and dubulking of the tumors. From there it could be another 3-6 sessions, and from there….well we will have to cross that bridge when we get there.

Sarah will be starting Chemo soon. If all goes according to plan, on Monday January 31st. We know it’s going to be harder than we could ever imagine, we are hoping it will lead to a lot of good. As it stands Sarah has been feeling the effects of the Cancer. Since the discovery of the tumors she has had her abdomen drained of liquid build up that are a result of the tumor. Each time she has had at least 3-4 liters drained, if not more. As the fluids build up she is able to eat less, breathing becomes challenging, and sleeping is almost impossible. We have been told the Chemo should be almost instant relief from the fluid, so we are hoping that despite all the other things the chemo will do to her body, this will be a tangible good sign we can see. We also know how much intended harm will come from the Chemo. To quote her Oncologist, “She will be fragile, and she HAS to act like it”. I understand how little Sarah will be able to take care of herself, and even our son, and have stepped down from my new job to do anything and everything for my family.

We understand that it’s going to be a difficult journey, harder than anything we could ever prepare for. The chemo will destroy her body in hopes that it destroys the cancer first. Not to be pessimistic, but instead, blunt; we understand how important it is to stay positive, we however, know better than to be in denial, especially when our health care providers have been honest with us in letting us know that the odds for a cure do not look good. That doesn’t mean we aren’t going to fight. Our son needs his Mom, and we will do whatever possible to see that through.

We started this GoFundME for all the people who have reached out and let us know that they want to help us out. Both Sarah and I are stubborn, quick to help others, but slow to ask for it. I understand however that now, more than ever is the time to humble ourselves and let the community of people who care about us help us. Whether it’s a dollar, or a simple prayer, we will take whatever help is sent our way, anything to keep our little family whole. Anything donated will go to anything Sarah needs, from comfort items to make her Chemo a little more tolerable, to medical help should our insurance fail us, or our needs reach beyond what is immediately available to us.