Penelope's Medical Fund
Donation protected
My name is Marissa Ortiz. On January 13th 2016, the world welcomed my 2nd niece, Penelope Summer Ulm. She was stunning, healthy, & sassy. At 7.6 lbs & 20.5 inches long, she was absolutely perfect, just as everyone expected.
Not even a full day after her arrival, there were some serious concerns with her head, which seemed to be abnormally large & swollen. After many tests & MRI scans, doctor's were finally able to see that she had a large mass in her brain, which took up 40% of the space in her skull. At 6 says old, she underwent a craniotomy, which is the surgical procedure to temporarily remove part of the skull to expose the brain. The craniotomy revealed that the mass was indeed a cancerous tumor & on January 30th 2016, Penelope was diagnosed with Glioblastoma; a stage IV acstrocytoma. Glioblastoma is the most common & most aggressive/malignant primary brain tumor.
The reason I have started this fund is because I want to help my sister, Maryann, & her boyfriend, Bryce, as much as I possibly can with their financial situation. I have started this fund in hope that those who are close to our family, or even complete strangers, would be willing or able to donate anything that would help keep Penelope's hospital bills paid for & her unbelievably strong parents on their feet, to help them afford housing, food, their 2 year old daughter Winona, & other living costs, while also making sure their precious new baby gets all the treatment she desperately needs & deserves.
As of right now, I know that there has been at least $17k worth of medical care that has been billed to them. There is no telling how much more there will be or how much our insurance plan will even cover. There has not been an official plan as to how Penelope's cancer will be treated, but regardless both of her parents will have to be out of work & possibly having to go out of state to explore the best options for their little girl. I will never know the unimaginable pain that they are experiencing, but I do know that they don't deserve to have a single extra burden weighing on their minds, especially money. While going through such an outrageously tough situation, all I want is their main focus to be on Penelope & her well-being. I don't want them to worry about how they are possibly going to cover such an immense amount of medical care, or even worse, not be able to pay for the incredibly important treatment that their baby will be facing.
Maryann & Bryce have never been the type of people to ask anyone for help, other than emotional support, which is why I have taken matters into my own hands to get them the help that their little family truly needs. I'm trying to be as realistic as possible & set a goal for $15k, although I know they will eventually need more than that. But no matter what we reach, my family will be unexplainably grateful & will put each & every cent towards Penelope or anything that gets her parents where they need to be to help her the absolute best they can.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this. If you are unable to spare anything, please help by spreading this story to as many people as you possibly can. Penelope was born so beautiful & so strong, & we can all help her continue her fight to overcome this terrible disease.
For more information, there are public posts from both of her parents' Facebook pages.
Mom - https://www.facebook.com/maryannnorrrtiz?fref=ts
Dad - https://www.facebook.com/bryce.ulm.35?fref=ts
Not even a full day after her arrival, there were some serious concerns with her head, which seemed to be abnormally large & swollen. After many tests & MRI scans, doctor's were finally able to see that she had a large mass in her brain, which took up 40% of the space in her skull. At 6 says old, she underwent a craniotomy, which is the surgical procedure to temporarily remove part of the skull to expose the brain. The craniotomy revealed that the mass was indeed a cancerous tumor & on January 30th 2016, Penelope was diagnosed with Glioblastoma; a stage IV acstrocytoma. Glioblastoma is the most common & most aggressive/malignant primary brain tumor.
The reason I have started this fund is because I want to help my sister, Maryann, & her boyfriend, Bryce, as much as I possibly can with their financial situation. I have started this fund in hope that those who are close to our family, or even complete strangers, would be willing or able to donate anything that would help keep Penelope's hospital bills paid for & her unbelievably strong parents on their feet, to help them afford housing, food, their 2 year old daughter Winona, & other living costs, while also making sure their precious new baby gets all the treatment she desperately needs & deserves.
As of right now, I know that there has been at least $17k worth of medical care that has been billed to them. There is no telling how much more there will be or how much our insurance plan will even cover. There has not been an official plan as to how Penelope's cancer will be treated, but regardless both of her parents will have to be out of work & possibly having to go out of state to explore the best options for their little girl. I will never know the unimaginable pain that they are experiencing, but I do know that they don't deserve to have a single extra burden weighing on their minds, especially money. While going through such an outrageously tough situation, all I want is their main focus to be on Penelope & her well-being. I don't want them to worry about how they are possibly going to cover such an immense amount of medical care, or even worse, not be able to pay for the incredibly important treatment that their baby will be facing.
Maryann & Bryce have never been the type of people to ask anyone for help, other than emotional support, which is why I have taken matters into my own hands to get them the help that their little family truly needs. I'm trying to be as realistic as possible & set a goal for $15k, although I know they will eventually need more than that. But no matter what we reach, my family will be unexplainably grateful & will put each & every cent towards Penelope or anything that gets her parents where they need to be to help her the absolute best they can.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this. If you are unable to spare anything, please help by spreading this story to as many people as you possibly can. Penelope was born so beautiful & so strong, & we can all help her continue her fight to overcome this terrible disease.
For more information, there are public posts from both of her parents' Facebook pages.
Mom - https://www.facebook.com/maryannnorrrtiz?fref=ts
Dad - https://www.facebook.com/bryce.ulm.35?fref=ts
Organizer and beneficiary
Penelope Ulm
Organizer
Peoria, AZ
Maryann Ortiz
Beneficiary
