Flowers' Fight with Cancer
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Thank you for visiting my GoFundMe page. I am currently undergoing treatment for Breast Cancer. My name is Sarah Snow Flowers, but I usually go by my middle name, Snow. I am a mother and have a beautiful blended family with six children ranging in age from 15 years old to 2 years old, all of whom reside with us. I have been married going on 7 years to a very devoted husband and father, Matthew, who works as an active duty sailor in the US Navy. I have been reluctant to start a GoFundMe even though friends have offered to for me, because we are fortunate to have government insurance cover most of the medical portion of my care. However, we have discovered there are many hidden costs to having cancer that are still not covered and that the cost of breast cancer doesn’t end with your medical bills. I have listed these costs following my story, at the bottom.
My story: In May of 2015 I felt a lump in my right breast, but I thought because I was still breast-feeding my toddler that it was a clogged milk duct or possibly my third bout of mastitis this year. After it did not resolve itself on its own, I saw my primary care doctor and was referred to the Breast Heath clinic for further screening. On August 12, 2015 I had a mammogram which was immediately followed with an ultrasound of my right breast. They scheduled my biopsy for the next day. August 20 I received the results of my biopsy: positive for cancer, specifically Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. My cancer was diagnosed as grade 3 (fairly aggresive) triple negative (harder to treat) and Stage 2 based on the size of the tumor. Because of these factors and my younger than usual age (35) the plan from the start was to treat the cancer with the most aggressive means. I was forced to immediately wean my baby when neither he nor I were ready, and that remains one of the most difficult things about this cancer process for me emotionally.
We have experienced small blessings along our cancer journey; earlier I tested negative for the BCRA1 and BCRA2 genes, which I am incredibly grateful for. That determined my decision to get a lumpectomy and try to preserve as much of my breast as I could. I also do not have enough words of thanks for all of the support that has been carrying me forward, and for all of our friends and families thoughts and prayers during this time. Even the kindness of strangers has been amazing; a local church, NewBreak, brought us meals as I recovered from my surgery in October.
Initially the plan for my cancer treatment was chemotherapy, then surgery, then radiation. But an early PET scan also discovered something new, thought to be a second cancer, lymphoma, later diagnosed as pulmonary sarcoidosis, and my team then decided first surgery, then chemo and radiation would be a better approach. On September 29 I went in for my surgery. They removed the breast cancer which was about golf ball sized, three lymph nodes from my armpit to see if the cancer was spreading, and one lymph node from my neck to diagnose the sarcoid definitively. The results came back a week or so later: they got all the cancer and the margins were clear, the lymph nodes under my arm did not show signs of the cancer spreading, which is the best we could have hoped for. Thanks to the prayer team I have supporting me here at home, and praise to God!
The node in my neck also confirmed sarcoidosis. My oncology and pulmonary teams are working together and have put me on a 5 week tapered treatment of prednisone, a steroid that will help get my sarcoidosis under control, at which point in mid November (my birthday week) I will start chemotherapy. The prednisode lowers your immune system, and chemotherapy also compromises your immune system, so it has led to a unique situation where we can't treat if I have a sarcoid flare up while taking the chemo, hopefully some prevention now means less worry in the near future. I will be on chemotherapy likely every two weeks until late January/early February of 2016, and then will have a 5 week treatment of localized radiation following that. I anticipate being able to say I am "Cancer Free!" by April 2016!
Edited to add updated treatment plan: Starting November 12, I will be getting Dose Dense AC chemotherapy every 2 weeks for 4 cycles (an 8 week long period) followed by Taxol chemotherapy every week for 12 weeks. So a total of 20 week long chemo, after which I will start radiation.
The hidden fees, or the things we need help with are as follows:
*Travel - the hospital I recieve treatment at is about a 20 minute drive, one way, and I have several weekly appointments. The cost of gas alone has added up very quickly and is significantly impacting our budget.
*Food - Due to my constant nausea and stomach troubles I have been put on a specialized diet and have been forced to buy groceries I typically would not purchase. This has added about $200 per month to our regular grocery bill.
*Personal Care Products - I am now unable to use many common personal care items like soap and deodorant, and have had to go 100 percent natural and dump everything with chemicals in it. Natural is expensive.
*Wardrobe - I have had to purchase serveral specialized bras for recovery, shirts that are easy to put on and that do not irritate my incision sites, and I currently need to replace many items that no longer fit due to bloating from the steroid treatments.
*Housekeeping - we are working with Cleaning For a Reason, which covers four free light housecleanings over the course of four months. We have two more after this month through the program. Unfortunately I anticipate needing extra help at least until March.
*Occassional childcare.
*Complementary therapies such as acupuncture, holistic medicine, and nutritional support to help maintain wellness and emotional balance, all of which are out of pocket expenses.
*Additional medications and supplements not covered by insurance, which are running us about $150 or so per month.
I realize that money is tight for everyone, especially with the upcoming holidays, and appreciate any assistance in any form. If you are unable to contribute monitarily, please share this link with your friends, and include our family in your thoughts or prayers. Thank you and God Bless.
Other Helpful Links:
MyLifeLine.org where I have posted updates and photos of my cancer journey.
My Amazon Cancer WishList where I have a list of cancer related items I'd like to recieve.
Our MealTrain if you are in the San Diego, CA area and can donate a meal.
My story: In May of 2015 I felt a lump in my right breast, but I thought because I was still breast-feeding my toddler that it was a clogged milk duct or possibly my third bout of mastitis this year. After it did not resolve itself on its own, I saw my primary care doctor and was referred to the Breast Heath clinic for further screening. On August 12, 2015 I had a mammogram which was immediately followed with an ultrasound of my right breast. They scheduled my biopsy for the next day. August 20 I received the results of my biopsy: positive for cancer, specifically Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. My cancer was diagnosed as grade 3 (fairly aggresive) triple negative (harder to treat) and Stage 2 based on the size of the tumor. Because of these factors and my younger than usual age (35) the plan from the start was to treat the cancer with the most aggressive means. I was forced to immediately wean my baby when neither he nor I were ready, and that remains one of the most difficult things about this cancer process for me emotionally.
We have experienced small blessings along our cancer journey; earlier I tested negative for the BCRA1 and BCRA2 genes, which I am incredibly grateful for. That determined my decision to get a lumpectomy and try to preserve as much of my breast as I could. I also do not have enough words of thanks for all of the support that has been carrying me forward, and for all of our friends and families thoughts and prayers during this time. Even the kindness of strangers has been amazing; a local church, NewBreak, brought us meals as I recovered from my surgery in October.
Initially the plan for my cancer treatment was chemotherapy, then surgery, then radiation. But an early PET scan also discovered something new, thought to be a second cancer, lymphoma, later diagnosed as pulmonary sarcoidosis, and my team then decided first surgery, then chemo and radiation would be a better approach. On September 29 I went in for my surgery. They removed the breast cancer which was about golf ball sized, three lymph nodes from my armpit to see if the cancer was spreading, and one lymph node from my neck to diagnose the sarcoid definitively. The results came back a week or so later: they got all the cancer and the margins were clear, the lymph nodes under my arm did not show signs of the cancer spreading, which is the best we could have hoped for. Thanks to the prayer team I have supporting me here at home, and praise to God!
The node in my neck also confirmed sarcoidosis. My oncology and pulmonary teams are working together and have put me on a 5 week tapered treatment of prednisone, a steroid that will help get my sarcoidosis under control, at which point in mid November (my birthday week) I will start chemotherapy. The prednisode lowers your immune system, and chemotherapy also compromises your immune system, so it has led to a unique situation where we can't treat if I have a sarcoid flare up while taking the chemo, hopefully some prevention now means less worry in the near future. I will be on chemotherapy likely every two weeks until late January/early February of 2016, and then will have a 5 week treatment of localized radiation following that. I anticipate being able to say I am "Cancer Free!" by April 2016!
Edited to add updated treatment plan: Starting November 12, I will be getting Dose Dense AC chemotherapy every 2 weeks for 4 cycles (an 8 week long period) followed by Taxol chemotherapy every week for 12 weeks. So a total of 20 week long chemo, after which I will start radiation.
The hidden fees, or the things we need help with are as follows:
*Travel - the hospital I recieve treatment at is about a 20 minute drive, one way, and I have several weekly appointments. The cost of gas alone has added up very quickly and is significantly impacting our budget.
*Food - Due to my constant nausea and stomach troubles I have been put on a specialized diet and have been forced to buy groceries I typically would not purchase. This has added about $200 per month to our regular grocery bill.
*Personal Care Products - I am now unable to use many common personal care items like soap and deodorant, and have had to go 100 percent natural and dump everything with chemicals in it. Natural is expensive.
*Wardrobe - I have had to purchase serveral specialized bras for recovery, shirts that are easy to put on and that do not irritate my incision sites, and I currently need to replace many items that no longer fit due to bloating from the steroid treatments.
*Housekeeping - we are working with Cleaning For a Reason, which covers four free light housecleanings over the course of four months. We have two more after this month through the program. Unfortunately I anticipate needing extra help at least until March.
*Occassional childcare.
*Complementary therapies such as acupuncture, holistic medicine, and nutritional support to help maintain wellness and emotional balance, all of which are out of pocket expenses.
*Additional medications and supplements not covered by insurance, which are running us about $150 or so per month.
I realize that money is tight for everyone, especially with the upcoming holidays, and appreciate any assistance in any form. If you are unable to contribute monitarily, please share this link with your friends, and include our family in your thoughts or prayers. Thank you and God Bless.
Other Helpful Links:
MyLifeLine.org where I have posted updates and photos of my cancer journey.
My Amazon Cancer WishList where I have a list of cancer related items I'd like to recieve.
Our MealTrain if you are in the San Diego, CA area and can donate a meal.
Organizer
Snow Flowers
Organizer
San Diego, CA