Help Betty Beat Cancer

Hello! My name is Natalia and I am the daughter of Beata, or Betty. My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer on March 27th, 2015. Since that day, my family's life has changed. Our definition of normal was altered. Suddenly, we had to get used to unexpected hospital visits, frequent days of weakness and pain, and harsh side-effects from chemotherapy that we had to watch my mother fight through. In addition, that same day we were told that the cancer had progressed to her liver, which was also considered inoperable due to it's size. All we could do was wait and watch to see if chemo would be our answer. 

My mother's hands and feet were effected by chemo. She would develop these awfully painful blisters on the bottom of her feet, which prevented her from wearing any shoes that were not loose, comfortable, and delicate to her fragile skin. When the blisters would open, she would be in immense pain and have to keep her walking to a minimum. She has to be helped with this on a daily basis. Her hands had extreme sensitivity to heat and cold, with skin that she described as "tightening."

Since March, there have been several ups and downs. Her chemo seemed to be working, and in September her doctors told her she would be operated on to remove the cancerous part of her colon, and a port would be inserted to direct the flow of chemo into her liver faster. To initiate the process of prepping for surgery, she was taken off of chemo for a month, and frequently visited the Rutgers Cancer Center in NJ -where she is being treated - to make sure she was in tip top shape for surgery. A week before her surgery, scheduled for October 29th, doctors told her it would have to be postponed because the cancer had spread to her lungs. Now, she was given a new chemo treatment which she was told would make her lose her hair.

The money raised for this fund would be given directly to my father so he could pay off any bills - medical or not - he needs to pay to keep our family at home, and to keep him away from worrying about financial issues. Since my mom has stopped working, it has become increasingly harder for my father to keep up with all of our necessary expenses, such as in school for my 7 year old sisters. I, myself, am working almost everyday of the week after school until closing in a local restaurant, so I can pay my own senior dues at school, pay for college applications, and any other expenses that are necessary. Being 17, I know I don't fully understand the struggles of financial issues to the extent of paying bills, but I do understand the frustration of not having enough money for basic necessities.

This fund is the one solution that I could offer to my parents so they don't have to worry as much. I can't offer them a lot, but I could at least try to fundraise for them. Any donation, big or small, would be greatly appreciated.