Stephanie's Teenage Cancer Battle
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The Illetschko family is campaigning for some much needed assitance. We are an adaptable family who have endured obstacles before. The father is a 14 year Technical Sergeant in the United States Air Force, with intentions of finishing his career with the military. Stephanie is 16 years old, enjoys spending time with friends, playing music, making arts and crafts, crocheting, and cooking. Tristan is 10, enjoys sports, playing Fortnite, playing with the family dog, and showing no fear when riding roller coasters at amusement parks.
In October of 2016, Stephanie was diagnosed with Stage II Hodgkin's lymphoma. She required 4 rounds of chemotherapy and quickly entered remission. Most of the appointments were outpatient, and was seen as a dramatic, but brief, obstacle to defeat.
Only 2 weeks before Christmas of 2017, Stephanie was in for a routine checkup and the doctors discovered that she developed Acute Myloid Leukemia (AML). This is a secondary cancer, which was caused by her chemotherapy while being treated for her Hodgkins. She was given a 50%-60% chance of survival.
Leukemia can multiply very rapidly, and Stephanie had to enter treatment within 48 hours in order to ward off the leukemia. Each round of chemo requires 3 weeks of inpatient hospitalization, with up to 7 days off afterwards. Thankfully, after only the first round of chemo, she was able to enter remission. This increases her chances of survival significantly. She has recieved 2 more rounds of chemo to maintain her remission status. AML will return if she does not get a bone marrow transplant. Transplant adds another 6-8 weeks in the hospital. This is where things get tricky. Prior to the transplant, her body will undergo intense chemotherapy like she has never seen before. This type of chemo has a high chance of permanately damaging her eggs. This is a tough decision to put onto a 16 year old girl, but she has chosen to freeze her eggs in hopes of being able to have kids in the future. Health insurance does not cover any of the IVF costs and is completely out of pocket.
There are several other expenses. Transportation costs have reached almost $150 weekly while Stephanie is in the hospital, with the father trying to visit Stephanie during the day, and maintaining a home for his son at night. Toll road fees and parking fees are over half of the transportation costs. Food expenses are quite high as eating out has often been the only option.
Our family has overcome many battles, but this is the biggest one yet. While we have recieved significant help from different charities, family and friends, there are still expenses that need to be paid. All money will go towards IVF, transportation, food, bills, Stephanie's upcoming birthday in May, and any other unforeseen cost.
Any funds unused will be kept aside to help pay for Stephanie's egg retrieval when she chooses to have children in the future.
Thank you, and I will continue updating.
In October of 2016, Stephanie was diagnosed with Stage II Hodgkin's lymphoma. She required 4 rounds of chemotherapy and quickly entered remission. Most of the appointments were outpatient, and was seen as a dramatic, but brief, obstacle to defeat.
Only 2 weeks before Christmas of 2017, Stephanie was in for a routine checkup and the doctors discovered that she developed Acute Myloid Leukemia (AML). This is a secondary cancer, which was caused by her chemotherapy while being treated for her Hodgkins. She was given a 50%-60% chance of survival.
Leukemia can multiply very rapidly, and Stephanie had to enter treatment within 48 hours in order to ward off the leukemia. Each round of chemo requires 3 weeks of inpatient hospitalization, with up to 7 days off afterwards. Thankfully, after only the first round of chemo, she was able to enter remission. This increases her chances of survival significantly. She has recieved 2 more rounds of chemo to maintain her remission status. AML will return if she does not get a bone marrow transplant. Transplant adds another 6-8 weeks in the hospital. This is where things get tricky. Prior to the transplant, her body will undergo intense chemotherapy like she has never seen before. This type of chemo has a high chance of permanately damaging her eggs. This is a tough decision to put onto a 16 year old girl, but she has chosen to freeze her eggs in hopes of being able to have kids in the future. Health insurance does not cover any of the IVF costs and is completely out of pocket.
There are several other expenses. Transportation costs have reached almost $150 weekly while Stephanie is in the hospital, with the father trying to visit Stephanie during the day, and maintaining a home for his son at night. Toll road fees and parking fees are over half of the transportation costs. Food expenses are quite high as eating out has often been the only option.
Our family has overcome many battles, but this is the biggest one yet. While we have recieved significant help from different charities, family and friends, there are still expenses that need to be paid. All money will go towards IVF, transportation, food, bills, Stephanie's upcoming birthday in May, and any other unforeseen cost.
Any funds unused will be kept aside to help pay for Stephanie's egg retrieval when she chooses to have children in the future.
Thank you, and I will continue updating.
Organizer
Stephanie Illetschko
Organizer
Sterling, VA
