Petrina's Cancer Medical Expenses

My name is Petrina and I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June of 2016. During the flurry of testing after diagnosis, a PET scan revealed a large mass in my right kidney- which we confirmed after surgical removal on 1/11 was chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.  So I have two separate cancers at once.

I've been poked, prodded, scanned, put through 20 weeks of grueling chemo, had both breasts & 4 lymph nodes removed in early December (along with tissue expanders placed for start of reconstruction). 

Radiation will be starting soon (though I've struggled with decision given how much me & my family have been through ready- the side effects are no joke & I'm weighing them against quality of life issues...which have already been greatly impacted by chemo; I seriously feel as if I've aged 20 years in just the past 6 months but I figure if I can reduce my risk of recurrence by even just 5%, it's worth it).

After I  heal from radiation, I'll have my expanders replaced with actual implants. Then, I'll have my ovaries removed to reduce the amount of estrogen as my cancer is estrogen positive & this will (hopefully) do its part in preventing recurrence. After that, it's 5-10 years of hormone therapy (and, of course, more and more testing, poking and prodding since once you're a cancer patient, you're forever a cancer patient).

Despite having fairly good insurance, we have been flooded with medical bills as part of our individual deductible & out of pocket maximum. By way of reference, we hit out of pocket max within a month of diagnosis in 2016 and we'll likely hit it by end of billing for January kidney removal.

We recognize we are more fortunate than most in that our debt for these 2 years of treatment will be $15K...but it still has had a huge impact on our family (especially considering I've been unable to work since chemo started). We have one son who'll be starting college next year, another daughter to follow the next and another daughter the next. Our youngest, Stella, won't be headed to college for another 9 years (phew!)

We put off our summer vacation in 2016 because we knew the impact this cancer would take financially on our family.  We have had to say no to a lot of things in 2016 and 2017...though thanks to the love & support of so many we were able to get meals delivered that helped lighten the load for my already over-burdened husband who's had to step up in the biggest of ways as I've battled 2 beasts in the form of cancer- and the depression that can bring. 

All funds will be used to pay off our medical debts for these 2 trying years. To be candid, I've been super hesitant to start a gofundme for this as I've rolled my eyes at a few when I scroll through on the FB newsfeed. But I know how much stress this debt has brought on our family and I know how grateful I'd be for any help to alleviate it.

I have a tendency to hide my head in the sand when it comes to money and stress- my husband Jon does not so I know it weighs heavily on him...so I'm going to swallow my pride, hope there are no eye rolls given at the computer by others and put this up in the hopes we can pay off these bills and focus on our kid's college funds. A summer vacation. Good things for our family to make memories with.

Any amount you can give would be GREATLY appreciated.  Thank you so much (even if you're unable to give a penny - and have sent me positive messages, texted me, posted a funny meme on my FB timeline)- you have no idea how much these have meant for me. 

I LOVE YOU and am so grateful for the support + love I've been shown.