Help JJ Beat Back Cancer!
Donation protected
I'm Dee, JJ's lucky spouse and partner of thirteen years. I'm making this GoFundMe page because JJ's cancer has come back and it's going to be an expensive road to knock it back into remission. I'm hoping that we can raise enough to lessen the financial burden of necessary bills and medical care while JJ takes on the task of getting better.
For those that don't know, here is JJ's story.
In the fall of 2014, JJ was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was ER/PR positive/ HER2 negative and a very large, aggressive tumor of 4.5cm. (On the TNM scale of 3 to 9, hers was the most aggressive at a 9.)
Chemo was recommended first to shrink the tumor before surgery. JJ went through four and a half months of chemotherapy and handled it like a champ, continuing to work and making it to karate whenever she could. The chemo was taxing on the body and, inevitably, her hair did start to go. Instead of worrying, she proactively shaved her head...and still looked awesome! The chemo worked, shrinking the tumor by over half. Yet in the four weeks required to recover between chemo and surgery, the tumor grew back. March 5th, 2015, she underwent a five-hour surgery for bilateral mastectomies and lymph node removal. We hoped that would take care of the cancer. Unfortunately, the pathology right after surgery revealed 16 of 45 lymph nodes testing positive for cancer as well. After several weeks of recovery, JJ underwent 35 rounds of radiation that left burns on her chest and back. Still, through all this, JJ worried more about how I and her friends were doing than herself. She's amazing that way.
Since her cancer was estrogen-driven, she also had a hysterectomy to lower the chance of estrogen feeding the cancer. Then, several more weeks of recovery and it was on to medications to suppress recurrence. We were living life in the 'new normal' with follow-up visits and blood tests every few months. After eighteen months, all the tests looked good.
We hoped the cancer was gone but at a chiropractic visit a couple of weeks ago, the doctor noticed a swollen gland by JJ's collarbone. We got in to see the oncologist the same day, who ordered a CT scan. It showed suspicious lymph nodes and possible lung involvement. A follow-up PET scan and biopsy were done to see if and how far the cancer had spread. It was a long ten-day wait.
The results are a mixed bag. The lung lesions are either too small to show up as cancer at this point, or it could be benign scarring. We won't know for a while. The PET scan shows cancer in the lymph nodes of her neck/ sternum area, but luckily, it has not spread to other organs or bones. The tumor status has changed from ER/PR positive to triple negative, which brings a new set of challenges.
At this point the disease is considered stage 4, which means it may not be curable, but it is still treatable as a chronic condition. The oncologist is recommending a new chemotherapy regime to start very soon, so JJ will be going in one day a week for several rounds, and then more tests and scans to see how well the treatment is working. Our goal is to kick the cancer back into remission and keep it there for a long time!
For everyone who's been a friend or acquaintance of JJ, you know how kind, funny and generous she is with her time and talents. She's a gifted musician, a dedicated martial artist, a wonderful friend and the most amazing spouse anyone could hope for.
I'm hoping to raise enough donations to ease the financial burden of insurance, medical care and other basic expenses while JJ takes on the task of getting better. We were lucky last time as we had a 401k and some savings to fall back on. However, cancer is an expensive disease. Doctor visits, chemo, tests, scans and medications get to be daunting even with good insurance. With our insurance premium going up almost 40% in January as well, we need to reach out to the community this time in order to get JJ healthy again!
If you find that you can donate to help with our impending insurance, medical and other expenses, it would mean the world to both of us.
For those that don't know, here is JJ's story.
In the fall of 2014, JJ was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was ER/PR positive/ HER2 negative and a very large, aggressive tumor of 4.5cm. (On the TNM scale of 3 to 9, hers was the most aggressive at a 9.)
Chemo was recommended first to shrink the tumor before surgery. JJ went through four and a half months of chemotherapy and handled it like a champ, continuing to work and making it to karate whenever she could. The chemo was taxing on the body and, inevitably, her hair did start to go. Instead of worrying, she proactively shaved her head...and still looked awesome! The chemo worked, shrinking the tumor by over half. Yet in the four weeks required to recover between chemo and surgery, the tumor grew back. March 5th, 2015, she underwent a five-hour surgery for bilateral mastectomies and lymph node removal. We hoped that would take care of the cancer. Unfortunately, the pathology right after surgery revealed 16 of 45 lymph nodes testing positive for cancer as well. After several weeks of recovery, JJ underwent 35 rounds of radiation that left burns on her chest and back. Still, through all this, JJ worried more about how I and her friends were doing than herself. She's amazing that way.
Since her cancer was estrogen-driven, she also had a hysterectomy to lower the chance of estrogen feeding the cancer. Then, several more weeks of recovery and it was on to medications to suppress recurrence. We were living life in the 'new normal' with follow-up visits and blood tests every few months. After eighteen months, all the tests looked good.
We hoped the cancer was gone but at a chiropractic visit a couple of weeks ago, the doctor noticed a swollen gland by JJ's collarbone. We got in to see the oncologist the same day, who ordered a CT scan. It showed suspicious lymph nodes and possible lung involvement. A follow-up PET scan and biopsy were done to see if and how far the cancer had spread. It was a long ten-day wait.
The results are a mixed bag. The lung lesions are either too small to show up as cancer at this point, or it could be benign scarring. We won't know for a while. The PET scan shows cancer in the lymph nodes of her neck/ sternum area, but luckily, it has not spread to other organs or bones. The tumor status has changed from ER/PR positive to triple negative, which brings a new set of challenges.
At this point the disease is considered stage 4, which means it may not be curable, but it is still treatable as a chronic condition. The oncologist is recommending a new chemotherapy regime to start very soon, so JJ will be going in one day a week for several rounds, and then more tests and scans to see how well the treatment is working. Our goal is to kick the cancer back into remission and keep it there for a long time!
For everyone who's been a friend or acquaintance of JJ, you know how kind, funny and generous she is with her time and talents. She's a gifted musician, a dedicated martial artist, a wonderful friend and the most amazing spouse anyone could hope for.
I'm hoping to raise enough donations to ease the financial burden of insurance, medical care and other basic expenses while JJ takes on the task of getting better. We were lucky last time as we had a 401k and some savings to fall back on. However, cancer is an expensive disease. Doctor visits, chemo, tests, scans and medications get to be daunting even with good insurance. With our insurance premium going up almost 40% in January as well, we need to reach out to the community this time in order to get JJ healthy again!
If you find that you can donate to help with our impending insurance, medical and other expenses, it would mean the world to both of us.
Organizer
Dee Kulacz
Organizer
Burbank, CA
