Expenses Support while Receiving Cancer Treatment

Hello, my name is Elisa Lopez. I am a single mom who is also battling Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer. Doctors say there is no cure for it but it can be “managed”. I am currently going on my 3rd round of chemo with my 4th line of treatment. My doctors say every time the results will be shorter and will take a bigger toll on my body. Chemo will be given for as long as my body can tolerate. At this point my body is responding so-so. There are days I don’t get out of bed and other days I am able to sit and walk around. My last scans in January 2023 showed cancer had spread to my spine, liver and hipbone.

It all started in 2019. I went in for what I thought would be a routine OBGYN visit. It turned out more complicated. My youngest son was about 9 months old and my doctor found a lump and told me it was due to a clogged milk duct. I took antibiotics for 2 weeks only to find out after a mammogram that it was Breast Cancer. This was devastating as you can imagine. I initially did 6 rounds of chemo and managed remission. Unfortunately, at the beginning of 2020 I felt the lymph nodes on my neck get lumpy. Doctors confirmed my fear at a later on appointment that the cancer came back and unfortunately they could only manage it because cures were “impossible”. I have been battling with this ever since where the cancer has slowly been spreading.

Currently live in Merced and I drive 4 hours round trip once a week to get my treatment at a Stanford clinic. I have tried getting treatment closer to me but it’s a messy insurance game that I unfortunately don’t have time for. My doctors have recently informed me there are only a slim amount of options left for me. I need to get a liver biopsy to see if my tumor markers “are right” to qualify for national clinical trials if any are available. Meaning hormone levels, tumors aggressiveness, etc. I will have the option to also change to another treatment where they will combine immunotherapy and chemotherapy in hopes this attacks the cancer. This will entail me missing more days at work for treatment and I am not sure how my body will tolerate. I am seeking to get a second opinion at MD Medical Center in Houston, TX. Naturally I have started to implement a holistic approach to this disease as well and have been looking into clinics out of the country.

Your support is appreciated, weather it is a donation, a share or a prayer. Thank you for choosing to join me in my fight.

Elisa Lopez.

Here with my kids before beginning my current treatment!