Fight With Lauren

My name is Karen Grothe and I have set up this Go Fund Me page for my niece Lauren Morgan Emmert.  The money goes to an account set up to help offset her mounting medical bills.  On January 18th Lauren was diagnosed with a rare Ovarian Cancer that is a germ cell type with a Yolk sac tumor (malignant and very aggressive).  The tumor is large and Lauren was already at Stage 4 and metastatic.  She has had complications with fluid around her lungs (and those procedures) and after her first round of chemo, she had a blood clot that developed near her port and went to her lungs causing a week long stay in Cardiac ICU.   Lauren married the love of her life on October 13th (three months before diagnosis) and they were not planning on starting a family until 2020 so she just elected a simple insurance plan through her work as she never anticipated any big health issues.  The HMO she selected will not approve Lauren’s doctors or hospital.  We are still fighting and appealing their denial on her surgery as it is imperative she have the best team and hospital for what will be a risky and long surgery. 

The type of cancer she has is usually treated by removing the mass and following up with chemo.  Because hers was so large and a unique case, a panel from Houston Methodist, MD Anderson, and a few others was comprised to decide on the best treatment plan for her.  She is currently having her third round of chemo this week and her surgery could possibly come as early as the beginning of April but probably not until after her 4th round of chemo.  For her privacy, I will not disclose the details of her surgery but there will substantial time in ICU and more rounds of chemo after the surgery.  Even if we are successful with the insurance appeal for the surgery, Lauren will still be responsible for paying all of her specialists and procedures through the hospital (along with the entire hospital portion also) and the week in ICU with all of its expenses.

If you know Lauren, you know that she is a hard worker and very kind.  There is nothing she would not do to help another person (or any animal ever).  She came into this world as a Karnes City Badger, then a Dabbs Dragon, Bondy Patriot, Pasadena Memorial Maverick… moving on to become a Fighting Texas Aggie (Class of ’13) and graduated from Law School in 2016.  She is a Fighter and she can beat this.  Any small amount you would like to contribute would be greatly appreciated. More than that, we ask for your prayers for peace, strength, and healing during this difficult time for Lauren and Kody and their families.