Sarah's Fight Against Brain Cancer

To know Sarah Duffey is to love her. She is one of the most kind-hearted, easy-going, compassionate people you'll ever meet. She has devoted her career to helping others in less-than-ideal circumstances, all with a smile on her face and a positive attitude. Now, Sarah is the one who needs our help.

On September 30th, 2020 her life was flipped upside down. Out of nowhere, Sarah suffered a massive seizure and was admitted to the hospital. After numerous tests and scans, she was diagnosed with a Grade 2 Astrocytoma brain tumor. She underwent an awake craniotomy on October 9th, 2020 where surgeons miraculously removed 90-95% of her tumor without complications. However, since her surgery, she has had a rollercoaster of an experience. A once perfectly healthy woman now faced daily medications, additional seizures, driving restrictions, and other hardships she never imagined would be a part of her daily life. A small light at the end of the tunnel was her acceptance into the AG-881 Trial at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago in January 2022, which trials an experimental drug aimed at shrinking the remaining portion of her tumor. While grateful to be in this monumental study, this meant traveling from Louisville to Chicago once a month to participate in the study and undergo numerous scans to monitor the tumor. Unfortunately, in a recent scan, it was determined that Sarah's tumor had shown some enhancement, which led to the discovery that she was on the placebo drug. As a result, her medical team immediately switched her to the experimental drug to begin receiving actual treatment, however, this meant twice monthly trips, more frequent monitoring, tests and procedures to ensure her health and monitor the tumor's growth. As if she was not dealt enough hardship, Sarah recently discovered insurance is paying little to no coverage for this required care, which her own medical team described as "criminal." As we all know, healthcare is not cheap, and medical bills have begun rolling in. Recently engaged, Sarah and her fiance Corey imagined starting a life and building a family together, without the burden of thousands upon thousands of dollars in medical bills.

I think we can all agree, Sarah has impacted us all for the better. Her infectious smile, compassionate nature and positive personality have touched anyone who has ever spent any time with her. She would never ask for help on her own, so we are doing it for her. Sarah needs every ounce of our support so she can focus on fighting this cancer. Any funds raised will go directly towards her medical treatment. Sarah is a fighter, and I know we all want to give her the best chance to beat this disease.

From the bottom of our heart, thank you to everyone for all of your support during this time