Helping the Crawford Family

Beth Crawford lives in Crested Butte Colorado, with her husband, Scott and their 4 children, Chloe (13), Stosh (11), and twin boys, Taj and Skylar (7). She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in August of 2016. Since then she has had a unilateral mastectomy and extensive treatments. In July of 2018 she was told it had spread to various places in her bones. 
  This has not only been hard for Beth, but for her entire family. It is physically, emotionally and financially draining.  Beth wants to continue her treatment and also provide help for her husband and children.  We are asking our community to help the Crawford family so they can have the help and treatment they need. The need is far greater than the amount  we are asking for, however this would be a great start. 

Below is Beth's story in her own words:



My Healing Journey

In January of 2016 I went in for a mammogram.  I had just turned 45 and my children were ages 10, 8, and twin boys ages 4.  I was feeling tired from raising 4 children.  I remember that I did a self-exam the day before the mammogram and everything felt fine.

The mammogram showed nothing, and I was relieved.  A week later I was able to feel a lump in my left breast the size of a nickel and two weeks later I had a scheduled appointment with my ob/gyn.  I wasn’t too concerned since I had a hard time believing a cancerous tumor would show up that quickly after a mammogram.  After the examination the doctor was convinced that it was just dense breast tissue and I that I didn’t need to worry. Why she thought that I don’t know.  In hindsight, I am surprised that neither of us insisted an ultrasound be done to verify.

So as the months went by and I could detect that the lump was growing, I started to get more worried.  The fact that my doctor told me that everything was fine, and the wish that everything was all right, I didn’t act.  Finally, I made a follow up visit.  I was still hopeful that maybe this lump was something normal, never realizing that cancerous tumors can grow so rapidly.  My doctor immediately ordered a mammogram and then an ultrasound.   The lump was biopsied, and I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  On August 25th I had a unilateral mastectomy at which time I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

Before the surgery I was feeling tired.  And after surgery it seemed to take about 6 months to feel kind of normal again.  I took the approach of trying to figure out how I had developed cancer and wanted to know what the underlying causes were.  I believed that something had triggered the cancer to develop and would continue to until I really understood what was out of balance.  Those thoughts and the belief that I knew I needed to choose a treatment that I believed in were what led me to make the choices that I did, to take a holistic approach.

Before surgery I was working with a naturopathic oncologist.  She guided me on a treatment plan that I could begin before surgery which included a change in my diet that supported my internal terrain. I followed this treatment plan until the summer of 2017 at which time I added additional treatments, which involved going to a clinic in Durango for one week, each month, for a year to receive infusions.

When my oncologist informed me that it was time to do a follow up PET/CT scan I became really anxious.  My back and shoulders began to tighten up in various places.  In July of 2018 I had the scan and found that the cancer had spread to various places in my bones, mostly in my torso.

Soon after that, I decided to go to the Hope 4 Cancer treatment center in Mexico.  I went there this fall for four weeks and upon returning home I have had trouble adjusting to the altitude.  While I was there I learned that my bones were producing less and less red blood cells.  This was causing complications including nausea and exhaustion.  On December 20th I needed to receive a blood transfusion at the hospital in Gunnison to help alleviate the problem.   

All of my doctors agree that the best thing for me right now is to go to sea level this winter to help in my recovery.  Being at sea level will provide me with more oxygen, which is important since cancer prefers cold temperatures and low oxygen.  I plan on going to California at the beginning of January and continuing my treatment there for 2 or 3 months.

My treatment has already been a financial strain on our family over the last two years due to the treatment costs which are mostly out of pocket, travel to and from Durango for a year, my trip to Mexico, and my husband missing time from work to take care of our kids while I was away.  

We hired a nanny in mid December, because I have not had the time and energy to take care of the kids and household.  The energy and time I have needs to go towards healing, resting, and doing my treatments.  The treatments that I need to do on a weekly basis outside of the home include two sessions of acupuncture, massages, and saunas.  While in CA I will include a high dose vitamin C infusion each week.

I have at least two more trips that I need to make to the Hope 4 Cancer treatment center in Mexico. 

There is a lot going on and a lot to plan.  Being under financial stress creates an extra burden that is not helpful.  Reaching out to my family and community has been a  hard step for me to take.  I understand that many of us go through hard times, and I am so grateful to those of you who are able and willing to share whatever amount they feel comfortable with.  I hope that when I get to the other side of this journey I will be able to give back in ways that I never imagined.  May peace be with you and your family.