Susan Biderman Montez's med fund

My best friend, Susan, was diagnosed with Breast Cancer last June.  After many visits (she lives in New Jersey and I Connecticut), different opinions, from different hospitals, we finally found a wonderful breast surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering.  As am part of their studies, Susan had a PET SCAN and they found her to have a large GIST tumor in her abdomen.  The medical/surgical staff wanted the abdominal surgery first prior to the breast surgery.  A wonderful surgeon removed the GIST, November 8, 2016 and Susan's large vertical scar opened and had to go through a month of wound care going into the city, and it took over a month to close.  Of course Susan couldn't drive, so either her sister drove from Brooklyn to New Jersey,  then from New Jersey to Manhattan, back to New Jersey and home to Brooklyn.  The same for me from Connecticut.  Susan had a friend who went somewhat but it was mostly her sister, then me.   The parking at MSK each time is around $70 plus tolls and gas.
Adaptive equipment, medications that are not covered by Health care, car services, are all out of pocket, trips to the hospital via car service as she has been hospitalized numerous times after she finally had the mastectomy in January with positive lymph nodes, and secondary infection, anemia.... well the list goes on and on.

Susan has such a positive spirit and she has gotten every complication from these TWO surgeries and chemotherapy.   She has 4 more injections of CHEMO, a month's rest, then reconstructive surgery, a month's rest, then radiation.   A long, complicated journey to get healthy.

Susan is one of the most special people I've ever known. Always upbeat, smart, creative and looks at the glass half full.  She had started taking ballroom lessons, which she worked very hard to pay for, and loved them. Then the cancer reared its head.  The dancing uplifted her spirits so, it hurt my heart that she had to stop for lack of energy and the close proximity of her dance partner.

She is in need of funds now as she owes the pharmacy, feels awful when myself or her sister have to pay to get her into New York City.  As she is unable to drive since the abdominal surgery, 2 X week visits to Manhattan are ridiculously costly.  Oh did I mention she worked as a social worker for 40 years!  Gratifying but not lucrative and Susan is in the need of the kindness of strangers.  Even unable to buy a wig, during then hair loss phase, she dolled up, as you see, for our 50th.

The money you graciously donate will give Susan the ability to pay all the bills that have accumulated, parking when she goes into MSK,  which is weekly, adaptive equipment, and maybe when she is not nauseous, which is rare, a lunch.

Susan is a minimizer I am here to advocate for her.  I lost a husband to pancreatic cancer, so while she doesn't take me through every trial and tribulation (that's her, to think of others) I know from a personal and professional perspective as I am a nurse.

We all need help, from time to time, some others more than others.  Susan is of need.  I do believe that it takes a village, and random acts of kindness define our humanity.

Please find it in your heart and your pocket to be as generous as your pocket can afford.  All is so very appreciated!

Iris Flick