Susan's Cancer Relief Fund
Hello, my name is Susan San Nicolas. I have been married to my husband Rene for 41 years and have raised and homeschooled our 6 children. In trying to provide the healthiest environment for my family, I have grown our own fruits and vegetables, prepared meals from scratch, canned and dried produce, and made our own bread. I am a big believer in giving to my community and have volunteered as a Girl Scout Leader, an Awana leader, a local animal shelter worker, and in numerous other capacities.
I am a non-smoker and have never smoked. However, in May of 2015 at age 59, I was diagnosed with stage 3B lung cancer. I went through the conventional treatments of chemotherapy and radiation, but these did little to stop the cancer progression which metastasized in my bones changing the cancer to stage 4. At that point, I turned to a specialist for help at City of Hope, a cancer research center in Duarte, CA . It was recommended I be given a new immunotherapy drug called Opdivo which could be administered close to home, eliminating long trips south for treatments. The drug ended up causing very serious side effects and took me a long time to recover.
Having failed the second line of treatment, I needed other options. My genetic testing showed my cancer had a specific gene mutation, and there was a clinical trial underway using an experimental drug to treat this type of cancer. They were accepting participants, so I was placed on the trial. I have been on this drug for the past 11 months and am considered “stable” for now. I am slowly regaining my health and trying to get back to the life put on hold because of the diagnosis and treatments.
Shortly after my diagnosis, my husband changed jobs to be nearer to home. Thankfully he has been able to be close to support me during this physically and emotionally draining time, especially being able to drive me down for appointments at City of Hope. Unfortunately, his income was severely diminished with the new position. It’s been hard to watch the strain on his face as he tries to cope with the many challenges due to my illness. Though insurance has been a big help, my medical bills continue to escalate and have now climbed to a level out of our reach. We have always been people who have paid our own way and lived within our means, so asking for help is as difficult as hearing the cancer diagnosis.
Please, if you feel led and are in a position to do so, consider helping me financially with a donation to offset my mounting medical and travel expenses. My family and I greatly appreciate your generosity.
