Shelley Estiverne

For the last four years, I’ve been living with pain in the left side of my stomach — front, side, and back — without answers. I kept going to doctors, trying to advocate for myself, and kept being told it was stress, IBS, or something I’d “just have to live with.” Meanwhile the symptoms kept getting worse: pain, nausea, fatigue, brain fog, mood changes, and a level of exhaustion that didn’t make sense for my age or lifestyle. Like many of us do, I pushed through. I went to work, showed up for people, smiled through the discomfort, and tried to convince myself it wasn’t as serious as my body was telling me it was. Everything changed in November 2025. After finally getting the right scopes done — an endoscopy and colonoscopy — I was diagnosed with an H. pylori infection that had been sitting untreated in my stomach for years. The biopsy results showed that the ongoing inflammation had already progressed into a Stage 1 pre-cancerous gastritis condition. My doctor told me that most cases become cancerous within five years. I’m in year four. We caught it just in time. It was both a relief and a shock — relief because I finally had answers, shock because I’d been walking around with a pre-cancerous condition without knowing it. On top of that, my labs showed severe nutrient depletion: iron deficiency anemia, B-12 deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, and magnesium deficiency. All of these impact energy, mood, sleep, immune function, and cognitive clarity — and all of them explain why I was struggling to work, think clearly, and keep up with daily life these past few years. Since then, I’ve been under the care of multiple specialists: • Oncology (monitoring the pre-cancerous progression) • Gastroenterology (treating H. pylori) • IV nutritional clinic (repairing deficiencies) Over the next 5–6 weeks, I’ll be undergoing treatment to: • Antibiotic therapy to eradicate the H. pylori infection • Monitoring to stop this from becoming cancer • Reverse the pre-cancerous progression • Restore my blood levels • Prevent full gastric cancer • Reduce inflammation and pain • Rebuild my energy and ability to work • Iron IV infusions • B-12 injections • High-dose vitamin D therapy • Magnesium IV • Nutritional + recovery support The treatment window is January 25 – March 5, 2026, and my target financial deadline February 15, 2026, because most of my critical treatments and bills fall within that period. What I didn’t expect was how much this would affect my day-to-day life. Before all of this, I was working, hustling, building, and handling my responsibilities. But when you’re self-employed and your body forces you to slow down, there’s no safety net, no paid time off, and no automatic paycheck. When I don’t work, I don’t earn. Over the last few months, the fatigue, pain, and brain fog have already impacted my income, and my doctors now want me to rest during treatment to prevent complications. I’ve always been the type to carry things quietly. Most of the people around me didn’t know what was going on because I didn’t have the words yet, and I didn’t want to worry anyone until I had answers. Now that I have answers—and a plan—I’m asking for help. To cover my medical treatments, medications, infusions, specialist bills, nutritional therapy, and lost work income during this treatment phase, my goal is $11,640. This is not easy for me to ask. I am used to being the one who shows up, the one who helps, the one who pushes through. But I’m choosing to fight for my health before this becomes cancer, and I’m asking for support so I don’t have to fight it alone. If you’re able to donate, share, or simply send prayers and encouragement, I am deeply grateful. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps me get through this critical window of treatment and recovery. It’s been a lot to carry at once, but I’m grateful that everything is being addressed now instead of ignored or left to get worse. I believe things happen in God’s timing, and I’m trusting this process even though it’s been overwhelming at times. Thank you for reading, thank you for caring, and thank you for being part of this chapter with me. I’m determined to heal and move forward stronger than I came into it. With love and humility, Shelley Treatment & Medical Care Cost : $88— meds & basic support $278— supplements + nutritional support $755— specialist copay $790 — Injections $1,771 — IV nutritional therapy $760 — labs & imaging $5,827 — week of treatment support for major medical (hospital) $1,371 — living expenses Total Needed: $11,640