Uplift Alicia After 2nd Cancer Diagnosis

Hey, My name's Kate and I'm posting this for my older sister Alicia. Most people who know me know how rare it is for me to reach out or ask for help, but this year has become increasingly hard for the both of us. In My sister's Words...

Dear You,

Please read this as a letter from me to you, because that is how I feel most comfortable conveying this big ‘ol message that needs sharing. It is hard for me to picture myself as part of a large and faceless community, but I feel safe to be me when it is me and you and us. Thank you for being here and sharing this bigness with me. I love you!

After 15 years of being cancer-free, I am now battling a new aggressive cancer. Unfortunately, I cannot generate income, so I am looking to you to help if you can. If you are in a less abundant place yourself, I totally understand. However, if you are in a comfortable position and able to contribute financially, you would be uplifting me in this challenging time.

If you cannot give in this way but desire to share light and love in your way, text me or DM via instagram @WeirdOnBothSides .

I’ll be sharing updates on the ^ above ^ Instagram as a video journal if you want to follow my experience.

Want all the juicy details of my story? Then read on!

The more I try to tame this beast of a story, the more apparent it is that it is too wild to be tamed. It's a lot. I greatly appreciate your compassion and the time you take to stop by this page or say hello however you do. You are here because we share love. It's no small thing. It's big and impactful. Thank you. I love you!

Here’s the timeline:

Spring 2007

I was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer that had spread over most of my body by the time it was found. After rigorous multimodal treatment (an enormous amount of chemo, followed by radiation and finally a stem cell transplant), I was declared “no evidence of disease.” Then, two years later, I was welcomed into the club of “remission.”

After the treatment finished, I asked my doctors what my chance of survival was.

“Close to or less than 5%” was their prognosis for 5-year survival. Yet, 15 years later, I am still greeted at the beginning of every doctor's visit with a “You’ve been through so much,” which, up until recently, I thought they said to everyone… Last year it finally sank in just how rare a survivor I am when a leading specialist in bone cancer told me she’s “never heard of anyone surviving what [I] did” and added that I should “just feel lucky to be alive.”

Like every survivor, I’ve spent every day since my remission worried that the cancer would come back… this has led to me being diagnosed with cPTSD, generalized anxiety disorder & depression. I am grateful to have a supportive mental health team, but I pay for treatment out of pocket.

March 15, 2020

Worked my last shift.

Summer 2020

Chronic pain and GI issues since having cancer at 15 have become unbearably painful. When I went to the doctors to address these issues, they said the pain I’m feeling results from deterioration in my bones, muscles, nerves and organs due to my previous cancer treatments.

These changes are called “late effects” and are a brand new area of focus for research and treatment. Unfortunately, they can only be managed, not cured. Specialists are few and far, leading to long waits between appointments and plodding progress in improving my quality of life. I rarely have the energy for something as simple as a little neighborhood walk or dinner with friends. Some days I can barely get out of bed. I can no longer work, so I began applying for disability benefits.

Fall 2020

I invest all my savings (and more with help from family) into a home with my then-partner of 6 years. But unfortunately, we soon had a falling out, and I was left with the house and all the financial responsibility that comes with it: a home that is big and livable but needs a lot of repairs to be truly safe, secure, functional, and accessible.

My doctor called me about a suspicious test result and referred me for a biopsy to determine whether it was cancer. I wait for months.

I was denied the first time for disability benefits, which they often do when people are thought “too young to be disabled.” This process can last for years here in the USA, and if you work because you can't make ends meet on no income for years on end, you are “proving that you can work… right?” And then you are denied. So if you can’t survive with no income for potentially years, you aren’t getting approved. Not exactly a fair system. I appeal and will appeal again.

Spring 2021

After months of delay, I can finally get a biopsy of the suspicious area shown on my scans. Not cancer (this time)! Also, the doctor later told me it was an unnecessary medical procedure as they biopsied the wrong area. Thank God I’m in therapy.

My sister Kate moved from Florida to live with me in Philadelphia, and we got a puppy. Not everything is gloom and doom. We keep flowers around the house and always greet our tortoise in the morning with head bobs. He reciprocates. We dance around the house and make puzzles and yummy food.

Winter 2021

Despite our efforts to keep up the house as well as we can on a budget, our boiler heater died. We depleted our savings and family fundraised to get us a new one. It was a cold Christmas, but we were all the more grateful for a new heater in the new year. Victory through the support of others. A touching win.

Spring 2022

At a routine visit, my doctor finds suspicious maybe-cancer. After a series of tests and procedures, it is confirmed: I have a rare, high-grade, advanced cancer for the second time. I am just 30 years old.

Nothing about this cancer looks good, but I am in good care, and I’ve faced rare and advanced cancer before. I’ve had surgery and am now (this May) starting chemo and radiation.

I am still in the arduous process of applying for disability.

Where do we go from here?! Only time will tell. You are welcome to follow my journey via Instagram @WeirdOnBothSides and spend a bit of time with me in this new weird world…

And please, if you are able, support us with a donation and ease some stress as we work towards healing!

To thank you and sign off, I would like to quote the Hawaiian Hoʻoponopono (Mantra/Prayer)

I am sorry.

Please forgive me.

Thank you.

I love you.