Erin's Gateway to Wellness Fund
Donation protected
Erin is a beautiful young woman who has been fighting cancer for too long. She and her husband, Charlie are trying to keep life as "normal" as possible for their 4 year old daughter. She is unable to return to work due to her health and ongoing treatment schedule which is weekly trips to MD Anderson in Houston, TX. All funds collected will lessen the financial stress in providing Erin the best care she can get for her, Charlie and her daughter. Here is Erin's story...
Erin was initially diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in September of 2013 at the age of 31. At the time she had a one year old daughter, a husband, and no time for cancer. She completed countless scans, biopsies, six rounds of high doses of chemo, surgeries, and at the end of it all her doctor found No Evidence of Disease (NED.) Her family was over joyed. She was cleared from the cancer that had invaded her left breast, multiple lymph nodes, and liver. Miraculously it was gone.
She completed a double mastectomy and continued her treatment due to her very aggressive type of cancer called HER-2 positive. The treatment was never going to be truly "done." Therefore, indefinitely, every three weeks she visited the chemo ward for a non-toxic dose of Herceptin to simply to keep her disease in check. Everything was going great. She was feeling solid and strong until a year ago, when she had her first seizure.
She woke up in the ER where she was informed that there were three tumors in her brain. The news was a complete shock to say the very least. Two of the tumors were removed manually by an amazing neurosurgeon and the third was radiated due to its proximity to her spinal column. Again, she was given the green light and the “NED” badge. Life continued and she felt as though the cancer was gone for good. She was placed back on an every three week chemo ward regimen which became her new “normal.”
In April of 2016, she went bank for a routine follow up with her neurosurgeon. On the last page of her scans the doctor lost count of the number of tumors that had invaded her brain. Roughly 25 to 30 tumors were found. They were little but they weren't going to stay that way. Her next visit was with the radiation oncologist and his words fell like bricks to Erin and her husband, she was given 3-6 months to live and that was with radiation treatment. They were devastated. They walked around the Denman Estate by the medical center and decided that 3-6 months wasn't enough time.
They pulled every string they could and got an appointment at MD Anderson in Houston, TX. They also scoured the internet and found a small website dedicated to stage 4 survivors and found a story about Leptomeningeal Metastases (Erin’s new diagnosis) which gave them hope. The reached out to a family that were living a normal and fulfilling life 5 years later after they were hit with the same devastating news.
M.D. Anderson changed the outlook for Erin. They have hope and they have a plan for her. She has recently gone through 14 rounds of daily full brain radiation. She is now receiving weekly intrathecal (Herceptin injected into the brain) via an Ommaya Reservoir which is basically a port implanted under her scalp.
Erin is currently traveling weekly to Houston, TX and spending anywhere from 1 to 3 nights in a hotel just to receive her treatments. She and Charlie are trying to keep life as normal as possible for thier now four year old daughter. Her daughter knows that mommy is sick and she told Erin recently, she's used to mommy’s bald head-but to please wear something when she takes her to school. Erin is just blessed that she can still do it.
Erin is in the very early stages of treating her third battle with cancer; but she has faith that her treatment will work. According to the first radiation oncologist, Erin would be unable to take care of herself by this point. However, due to her courageous fight she is currently proving them wrong for the love of her husband and precious young daughter.
Erin was initially diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in September of 2013 at the age of 31. At the time she had a one year old daughter, a husband, and no time for cancer. She completed countless scans, biopsies, six rounds of high doses of chemo, surgeries, and at the end of it all her doctor found No Evidence of Disease (NED.) Her family was over joyed. She was cleared from the cancer that had invaded her left breast, multiple lymph nodes, and liver. Miraculously it was gone.
She completed a double mastectomy and continued her treatment due to her very aggressive type of cancer called HER-2 positive. The treatment was never going to be truly "done." Therefore, indefinitely, every three weeks she visited the chemo ward for a non-toxic dose of Herceptin to simply to keep her disease in check. Everything was going great. She was feeling solid and strong until a year ago, when she had her first seizure.
She woke up in the ER where she was informed that there were three tumors in her brain. The news was a complete shock to say the very least. Two of the tumors were removed manually by an amazing neurosurgeon and the third was radiated due to its proximity to her spinal column. Again, she was given the green light and the “NED” badge. Life continued and she felt as though the cancer was gone for good. She was placed back on an every three week chemo ward regimen which became her new “normal.”
In April of 2016, she went bank for a routine follow up with her neurosurgeon. On the last page of her scans the doctor lost count of the number of tumors that had invaded her brain. Roughly 25 to 30 tumors were found. They were little but they weren't going to stay that way. Her next visit was with the radiation oncologist and his words fell like bricks to Erin and her husband, she was given 3-6 months to live and that was with radiation treatment. They were devastated. They walked around the Denman Estate by the medical center and decided that 3-6 months wasn't enough time.
They pulled every string they could and got an appointment at MD Anderson in Houston, TX. They also scoured the internet and found a small website dedicated to stage 4 survivors and found a story about Leptomeningeal Metastases (Erin’s new diagnosis) which gave them hope. The reached out to a family that were living a normal and fulfilling life 5 years later after they were hit with the same devastating news.
M.D. Anderson changed the outlook for Erin. They have hope and they have a plan for her. She has recently gone through 14 rounds of daily full brain radiation. She is now receiving weekly intrathecal (Herceptin injected into the brain) via an Ommaya Reservoir which is basically a port implanted under her scalp.
Erin is currently traveling weekly to Houston, TX and spending anywhere from 1 to 3 nights in a hotel just to receive her treatments. She and Charlie are trying to keep life as normal as possible for thier now four year old daughter. Her daughter knows that mommy is sick and she told Erin recently, she's used to mommy’s bald head-but to please wear something when she takes her to school. Erin is just blessed that she can still do it.
Erin is in the very early stages of treating her third battle with cancer; but she has faith that her treatment will work. According to the first radiation oncologist, Erin would be unable to take care of herself by this point. However, due to her courageous fight she is currently proving them wrong for the love of her husband and precious young daughter.
Organizer and beneficiary
Claudine Buzzelli Callender
Organizer
San Antonio, TX
Erin Stavros
Beneficiary