Help Alyssa Fight Cancer!
As many of you know, our beloved friend, daughter, and sister, Alyssa Liddle, was diagnosed with cancer just months before her 23rd birthday. Alyssa first noticed something was awry when she could no longer fit her boot over her right calf, yet the left boot fit fine. Her primary care physician brushed it off as a hematoma and sent her on her way with some compression socks. Alyssa and her mom continued to doubt compression socks were the solution, and insisted on an MRI despite a nurse's pleadings that an MRI wasn't necessary and wouldn't be covered by insurance. After an MRI, a few other doctors and collecting some biopsies she was diagnosed with Stage III Sarcoma, a rare cancer of the connective tissue.
The days since her diagnosis have been a whirlwind. Alyssa has undergone aggressive chemotherapy, often receiving treatment 5 days a week, 6-7 hours a day. In August, Alyssa’s doctors found the cancer had shrunk significantly as a result of the chemotherapy and believed Alyssa was ready for surgery to remove the tumor. However, after receiving a second and third opinion, her team of doctors determined the tumor was too close to vital arteries, veins, and nerves. The surgeons would have to work around these limitations, posing a life threatening risk that all of the cancer could not be removed, in addition to some loss of limb functionality.
Alyssa has made the brave decision to proceed with a knee disarticulation, an amputation of her leg at the knee. As of September 13, 2017, her procedure will be complete. Alyssa has handled her diagnosis and each of her treatments with grace and courage, choosing to find the positive in everyday life. But regardless, an amputation comes with additional challenges to Alyssa’s daily life and providing her with the resources and support needed will not be fully covered by insurance. Once the hospital stay ends, Alyssa will require many hours of in-home physical therapy. She will need to be fitted for a prosthetic leg, and can expect countless follow up doctor’s visits and physical therapy to learn to walk again. Her manual transmission sedan will have to be sold and replaced with a more suitable car that will then need to be outfitted with hand paddles or pedals oriented to be used with the left foot. In the meantime, Alyssa will also have several more months of chemo ahead of her to ensure she is cancer-free.
Alyssa is one of the strongest women we know and we would like to surround her with the resources to make this transition as smooth as possible. If you would like to lend your support financially or otherwise to this amazing young woman, please consider donating to this fund. Please share the word with other friends and family, as this is a time to come together and show Alyssa just how loved and supported she is.
You can also make your donation via PayPal at paypal.me/AlyssaLiddle. (Donations made in this manner will still be tracked towards the goal.)
We invite you to join our efforts to help ease Alyssa’s burden so she can focus on kicking the crap out of cancer!
