Support Leslie Carter
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Leslie Carter desperately requires financial help. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2018. She needs your help. She and her spouse are trying to survive on a monthly income of $1200 when their expenses are over $2400 each month. She has enough to worry about without major concern of where the money is going to come from.
Those of you who know Leslie, know that she has always been there to help others. She is a loving caring person and always concerned for the welfare of others. Now she is in a place where she desperately needs support from others. We are asking for assistance in this very depressing and difficult time in her life.
She had been in extreme pain, but kept fighting to keep on her feet while she had numerous tests done and waited for doctors to find the problem. During that time she lost 55 pounds and her health deteriorated rapidly.
October 20, 2018 she went into emergency when something ruptured inside her. She was told that her colon may have a tumor blocking her colon and it may be leaking internally. She had to go in for emergency surgery. The surgeon found a tumor in her colon, sent biopsies and attached a colostomy; which she was told she would have for the rest of her life. She was unable to work at all from that time and she and Jami, her spouse, have been living on Jami’s wage. They sold everything they could and their families helped as much as they could. They borrowed money from family thinking she would only be off work for a short time as the surgeon had removed area that was blocked in colon. She thought she would get through this without much difficulty, but that was not to happen. Leslie received the results of the biopsy and was diagnosed with colon cancer in December of 2018. She started chemo followed by high doses of radiation from December 2018 through March 2019 and had to travel from Vernon to Kelowna to the Cancer Clinic. Jami had to take time off work to drive her back and forth on those days. By February the money from family ran out and family still did what they could to help. Leslie and Jami approached every social help agency available and were able to secure only $600. In March 2019 borrowed more from family and friends, but by that time pre-surgery medication for the upcoming 2nd surgery to remove cancer tumor and large portion of colon took major amount of that money and then disconnect notices were coming in. They are one of the unlucky residences that are receiving extremely high hydro charges.
End of April 2019, admitted to Kelowna hospital for colon cancer surgery and removal. Jami had to take time off work again to be there with her. Post operation medications were 10 times what they expected costs to be. She had 2 transfusions while in hospital as her blood counts kept dropping and she had a larger amount of blood loss. A large incision with staples, a hemoglobin drainage vac tube was connected while in surgery and her colostomy was re-positioned. May 2, 2019 she was released from hospital and returned home to Vernon.
May 5, 2019 went to Vernon emergency room in pain and emergency could not find out what the cause was and sent her home saying it was just from surgery. She had to return to emergency via ambulance on the 8th of May bleeding severely from incision and was admitted to the Vernon hospital with internal infection that had blown through the incision. 8 more days in hospital, hemoglobin vac drainage tube was blocked as well and another drainage tube had to be placed in her buttocks. During her stay in hospital her veins were collapsing and IV’s had to be replaced often which meant trying to find veins that would hold. The old drainage tube was left in as well and was not removed till 13th of May. Incisions in lower abdomen, tube in right front area of abdomen and another drainage tube in right buttocks made it impossible to sit or lie on right, on front or on back; must sit or lie on left side still. Major pain and sleepless nights are taking their toll on her and now skin and bone again, lost what little weight she had been able to put on after chemo and radiation.
May 16 released and returned to Vernon home with 24 hour help required. Jami’s sister came down from Williams Lake to help so that Jami could work. She must have help with daily activities and it is very humiliating for her as she is a very private person; help to get up and down, bathroom, bathing etc and cannot walk any distance without a cane or walker and someone beside her as she gets dizzy and has very little strength. Immune system still down. She feels very embarrassed to have someone other than her spouse helping her with intimate issues, but Jami must work just so they can get her to her appointments, get her medications and get her the food she requires to recover.
Family has exhausted their funds and she still has more trips back and forth to Kelowna for treatments, more medications required still for fighting infection, dietary supplements to increase weight and energy. Surgeon expects she will not return to fully functioning work she had been doing (had her own business so no benefit plan) and will not be capable of working at any job before end of this year.
Severe depression with bills mounting and fear of losing everything as well as fear of what is physically going on and more large doses of chemo to come. Ostomy supplies are not fully covered by pharmacare and are extremely expensive along with extremely expensive blood thinners to prevent clots, wound care supplies and over counter meds prescribed by doctor.
Thank you.
Those of you who know Leslie, know that she has always been there to help others. She is a loving caring person and always concerned for the welfare of others. Now she is in a place where she desperately needs support from others. We are asking for assistance in this very depressing and difficult time in her life.
She had been in extreme pain, but kept fighting to keep on her feet while she had numerous tests done and waited for doctors to find the problem. During that time she lost 55 pounds and her health deteriorated rapidly.
October 20, 2018 she went into emergency when something ruptured inside her. She was told that her colon may have a tumor blocking her colon and it may be leaking internally. She had to go in for emergency surgery. The surgeon found a tumor in her colon, sent biopsies and attached a colostomy; which she was told she would have for the rest of her life. She was unable to work at all from that time and she and Jami, her spouse, have been living on Jami’s wage. They sold everything they could and their families helped as much as they could. They borrowed money from family thinking she would only be off work for a short time as the surgeon had removed area that was blocked in colon. She thought she would get through this without much difficulty, but that was not to happen. Leslie received the results of the biopsy and was diagnosed with colon cancer in December of 2018. She started chemo followed by high doses of radiation from December 2018 through March 2019 and had to travel from Vernon to Kelowna to the Cancer Clinic. Jami had to take time off work to drive her back and forth on those days. By February the money from family ran out and family still did what they could to help. Leslie and Jami approached every social help agency available and were able to secure only $600. In March 2019 borrowed more from family and friends, but by that time pre-surgery medication for the upcoming 2nd surgery to remove cancer tumor and large portion of colon took major amount of that money and then disconnect notices were coming in. They are one of the unlucky residences that are receiving extremely high hydro charges.
End of April 2019, admitted to Kelowna hospital for colon cancer surgery and removal. Jami had to take time off work again to be there with her. Post operation medications were 10 times what they expected costs to be. She had 2 transfusions while in hospital as her blood counts kept dropping and she had a larger amount of blood loss. A large incision with staples, a hemoglobin drainage vac tube was connected while in surgery and her colostomy was re-positioned. May 2, 2019 she was released from hospital and returned home to Vernon.
May 5, 2019 went to Vernon emergency room in pain and emergency could not find out what the cause was and sent her home saying it was just from surgery. She had to return to emergency via ambulance on the 8th of May bleeding severely from incision and was admitted to the Vernon hospital with internal infection that had blown through the incision. 8 more days in hospital, hemoglobin vac drainage tube was blocked as well and another drainage tube had to be placed in her buttocks. During her stay in hospital her veins were collapsing and IV’s had to be replaced often which meant trying to find veins that would hold. The old drainage tube was left in as well and was not removed till 13th of May. Incisions in lower abdomen, tube in right front area of abdomen and another drainage tube in right buttocks made it impossible to sit or lie on right, on front or on back; must sit or lie on left side still. Major pain and sleepless nights are taking their toll on her and now skin and bone again, lost what little weight she had been able to put on after chemo and radiation.
May 16 released and returned to Vernon home with 24 hour help required. Jami’s sister came down from Williams Lake to help so that Jami could work. She must have help with daily activities and it is very humiliating for her as she is a very private person; help to get up and down, bathroom, bathing etc and cannot walk any distance without a cane or walker and someone beside her as she gets dizzy and has very little strength. Immune system still down. She feels very embarrassed to have someone other than her spouse helping her with intimate issues, but Jami must work just so they can get her to her appointments, get her medications and get her the food she requires to recover.
Family has exhausted their funds and she still has more trips back and forth to Kelowna for treatments, more medications required still for fighting infection, dietary supplements to increase weight and energy. Surgeon expects she will not return to fully functioning work she had been doing (had her own business so no benefit plan) and will not be capable of working at any job before end of this year.
Severe depression with bills mounting and fear of losing everything as well as fear of what is physically going on and more large doses of chemo to come. Ostomy supplies are not fully covered by pharmacare and are extremely expensive along with extremely expensive blood thinners to prevent clots, wound care supplies and over counter meds prescribed by doctor.
Thank you.
Organizer
Darrell J James
Organizer
West Kelowna, BC
