Help Mickey Beat Cancer

Mickey has touched countless lives as a teacher, a friend, a Christian, a sister to five siblings, mother of seven beautiful children, beloved grandmother “Yaya” to one, and a mother figure to so many others in so many ways.

Due to serious health issues stemming from long covid, she has been unable to work full-time since January of 2022. She was then diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the end of November of 2022, and her world has been turned upside down ever since.

Those close to Mickey can tell you she has not had an easy life, but she has always pushed through her challenges and is an inspiration to many because of it. She is now in a battle for her life, and it’s with a heavy heart that we’re reaching out to anyone who has known her or been touched by her passion and faith for help in this difficult time.

If you’re here and reading this we’d like to thank you in advance for being a part of her recovery through any means that you can offer.

Love, Mickey’s children

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A timeline of Mickey’s diagnosis:

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In January of 2022 Mickey tested positive for covid, and found herself among the unfortunate few who did not bounce back after a few days. Her covid turned into pneumonia, and she spent the following months fighting one health issue after another. Undergoing extensive testing and monitoring due to long-haul covid, she found herself physically unable to work for the better part of a year. Just as she was about to start a new teaching job and appearing to be on the mend, her health failed once more.

In late November Mickey went to the Emergency Room with suspected gallstone pain. After she was admitted, a scan showed dilation in the common bile-duct, a likely indicator that gallstones were stuck. An MRCP was ordered to remove the gallstones and repair the bile-duct. Upon receiving clear results in her pancreas and liver, she was transferred the following day for what was supposed to be a routine procedure. When no gallstones were found in the bile-duct, her doctor noticed the dilation had gone down and continued looking at the pancreas, where they found a tumor. The doctors biopsied the tumor and it was malignant. She was then diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The following day she met with the oncologists who confirmed the diagnosis and things moved quickly from there. The good news was that Mickey was among the 20% of pancreatic cancer patients who are even eligible for surgery. On December 28th, just one month after her diagnosis, she underwent a Whipple procedure, which is a very intense and serious abdominal surgery during which the gallbladder, bile-duct, and part of the pancreas and small intestine is removed. It is the only known pathway to a cure for pancreatic cancer. Recovery has been slow and painful, but she is a fighter and has been pushing through ever since.

The pathology from the surgery revealed that the cancer is Stage 3, with cancer cells found in 9 of the 27 lymph nodes that were removed. The margins were clean and they removed all of the active cancer from her body, but chemotherapy is imperative to prevent a recurrence. Sometime in February Mickey will begin a minimum of 6 months of chemotherapy. Due to the extreme nature of the Whipple procedure and the bi-weekly chemotherapy to follow, Mickey will be out of work for quite some time.

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What we’re hoping to raise:

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Given the total amount of time that Mickey has been unable to work, and the tough year that lies ahead of her, we are hoping to raise enough money to keep her financially stable as she undergoes treatment and navigates her medical expenses. Our goal of $20k will help to pay her bills throughout the upcoming year of treatment and recovery while allowing Mickey to focus on the fight that lies ahead.

Thank you so much for being a part of Mickey’s recovery in whatever way you feel called to do so.