Whitney Zima's Fight Against Ovarian Cancer

This is my daughter, Whitney Zima.  She and her husband Tom were married on April 2nd, 2016.  Their dream was to have a large family with a house full of children.  They tried immediately to start their family but with no success.  After working with her OB/GYN and trying several rounds of fertility treatments and surgeries, they were no closer to their dream becoming a reality. 


In May 2019, Whitney made 2 trips to the ER for severe abdominal pain.  After several scans, it was discovered that the pain was caused by what appeared to be a cyst on her left ovary that was slowly bleeding into her abdomen.  Upon a follow up visit with her OB/GYN, she was informed that nodules were found in both of her lungs as well as on her adrenal gland.  After visiting her endocrinologist and an oncologist recommended by her OB/GYN, it was ruled that the lung and adrenal gland nodules were not life threatening.  The endocrinologist did perform a biopsy of her left thyroid as Whitney has suffered from toxic nodules and thyroid issues for years, having had the right side removed nearly 10 years ago.  It was such a relief when the news came back negative for thyroid cancer. 


She returned to her OB/GYN to focus treatment on the ovarian cyst, what at the time was assumed to be caused by many years of suffering from endometriosis.  Whitney and her doctor decided that surgery was the best option to not only alleviate the pain but to also give Whitney and Tom one last chance to have a baby. 


On October 7th, Whitney had surgery to remove the cyst.  She called with the wonderful news that they were able to remove the cyst and preserve both fallopian tubes and ovaries.  This was such a happy time for her and Tom.  It seemed as though their dreams were finally going to come true. 


All of that changed the morning of October 10th.  Whitney received a call from her OB/GYN's office stating that they needed to see her and Tom right away.  When they arrived, they were informed that Whitney had endometrioid adenocarcinoma, an aggressive form of cancer that typically affects women in their 70's.  The cyst was actually a tumor that had begun to infiltrate her left ovary.  How could this be?  She was only 32! 


The next day we met with the oncologist where we learned that she would have to have yet another surgery, this time to remove her uterus, both tubes and both ovaries.  The surgery was a success but Whitney has been undergoing chemotherapy ever since to ensure that all cells were eradicated.  She now has fatty liver disease and was diagnosed with gall stones that will most likely require surgery once the chemo is completed.  She will also be going through more invasive tests due to issues with her pituitary gland and cortisol levels. 


Whitney has lost her hair but she has not lost her spirit.  Through all of this, she has not complained for she knows that God has other plans for her.  She will also be the first person in our family to survive her battle with cancer.  She has been unable to work since May due to the overwhelming number of tests, surgeries and recovery times.  With the continued scans, medications and chemotherapy, her bills are well over $10K.  Any help would be greatly appreciated to help alleviate the additional stresses of the costs.