Tia's Fight with cancer
Donation protected
Dear friends,
I am writing about two significant people in my life, my twin brother Mark and his common-law wife, Tia Baird who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cervical cancer.
This is their story:
Tia and Mark started dating in 2012, some say it was love at first sight. Immediately inseparable, the two moved in together in early 2013 and have been together ever since. Although they do not have kids, they do have three rescue cats they refer to as their "fur babies" (Cloey, Charley and Louise). In the first couple years through many ups and dowms, Tia and Mark developed a strong bond. They were always there for each other no matter what and promised to always have an optimistic outlook on life no matter how tough things got.
As things appeared to be looking up, in July 2015 Tia started getting sick, abnormally sick, which included frequent visits to the local Emergency Department. At their first visit they were told Tia was pregnant and then sent home. When the sickness became more persistent, they went back to the ER where they were informed that Tia had an ectopic pregnancy and a procedure would be required to forfeit the fetus. These frequent visits continued but Tia knew something was not right. One physician claimed an ectopic pregnancy was impossible, while another stated there was trauma to her cervix. It was very overwhelming for the both of them, feeling confused as to whether they lost had just lost a baby or if it had even existed.
In October 2015, Tia and Mark were faced with devastating news, Tia was diagnosed with cervical cancer. They were both in shock but and immediately sought out medical attention and treatment options. They went to London and met with physicians who were both comforting and knowledgeable about her condition, and were able to establish a treatment plan. Tia was to begin radiation and light chemotherapy which required her to stay in London for almost a month. Mark would stay at friend's houses in London on the weekend when he could, while continuing to work full time throughout the week. The continuous driving to London after work and on the weekends began to take its toll and financial hardship set in. Tia was transferred to Windsor and admitted for a month until she was finally discharged home. Treatment was then started in Windsor in order to be closer to home. She completed approximately 30 rounds of radiation everyday from Monday to Friday and a light chemotherapy once a week as well. After these were completed, Tia returned to London twice for brachytherapy.
After her treatments, her conditioned seemed to remain consistent, not good but not bad; however things took a turn for the worse. A spot on Tia's tailbone began to form in which her physician's suspected to be cancerous. After sitting in limbo for over a month waiting for a CAT scan Tia's sickness progressed. With her legs, feet, and abdomen swollen, fluid in her lungs, and a weight loss of over 30lbs, Mark brought Tia to the ER. On a Tuesday about three weeks ago Tia recieved a blood transfusion, electrolytes, and a CAT scan of her chest for some reason unknown to them and told them the swelling would go down.
It didn’t.
Ten days later on a Friday, the swelling was still present and her sickness was worse. Tia and Mark went back to the ER the same day she was scheduled to get the CAT scan she had been waiting for initially and after it was done, they were informed the cancer had spread. Tia's cervical cancer had spread not only to her tailbone but to her liver and membranes lining some of her organs. Once again, they were devastated especially when they learned the prognosis was not good.
Tia was then admitted to the hospital and was seen by the pain specialist and the chemo doctor. They advised that chemo would have a one in three chance of working and if it works it could extend her life to maybe a year. If she isn’t strong enough it could kill her in weeks. They also said that if she does nothing at all she will have three to six months left. Mark and Tia are at a loss on what to do and have no clue of which route to take as Tia is not strong enough to go through the chemotherapy. They both feel like this could have all been avoided if someone had done their due diligence early on, but are not here to point fingers. Right now they need your help! Help to keep Tia at home and let her and Mark spend the rest of her life together without having to worry about their growing medical costs and financial hardships.
Mark and Tia could of used this help a long time ago, and my brother has done everything in his control to make ends meet and take care of Tia but it has finally caught up with him. They need help now in order to focus on Tia's health and quality of life. It might be a long shot, but I am hoping this story will be passed along in order to conquer some of their financial stress; every little bit helps. Thank you all so much for your love, prayers, and support.
If you can't give financially, please say a prayer for Tia and Mark.
Thank you.
We would also like to raise awareness for cervical cancer. Please make sure every woman in your lives gets a PAPP test regularly, it could save a life
I am writing about two significant people in my life, my twin brother Mark and his common-law wife, Tia Baird who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cervical cancer.
This is their story:
Tia and Mark started dating in 2012, some say it was love at first sight. Immediately inseparable, the two moved in together in early 2013 and have been together ever since. Although they do not have kids, they do have three rescue cats they refer to as their "fur babies" (Cloey, Charley and Louise). In the first couple years through many ups and dowms, Tia and Mark developed a strong bond. They were always there for each other no matter what and promised to always have an optimistic outlook on life no matter how tough things got.
As things appeared to be looking up, in July 2015 Tia started getting sick, abnormally sick, which included frequent visits to the local Emergency Department. At their first visit they were told Tia was pregnant and then sent home. When the sickness became more persistent, they went back to the ER where they were informed that Tia had an ectopic pregnancy and a procedure would be required to forfeit the fetus. These frequent visits continued but Tia knew something was not right. One physician claimed an ectopic pregnancy was impossible, while another stated there was trauma to her cervix. It was very overwhelming for the both of them, feeling confused as to whether they lost had just lost a baby or if it had even existed.
In October 2015, Tia and Mark were faced with devastating news, Tia was diagnosed with cervical cancer. They were both in shock but and immediately sought out medical attention and treatment options. They went to London and met with physicians who were both comforting and knowledgeable about her condition, and were able to establish a treatment plan. Tia was to begin radiation and light chemotherapy which required her to stay in London for almost a month. Mark would stay at friend's houses in London on the weekend when he could, while continuing to work full time throughout the week. The continuous driving to London after work and on the weekends began to take its toll and financial hardship set in. Tia was transferred to Windsor and admitted for a month until she was finally discharged home. Treatment was then started in Windsor in order to be closer to home. She completed approximately 30 rounds of radiation everyday from Monday to Friday and a light chemotherapy once a week as well. After these were completed, Tia returned to London twice for brachytherapy.
After her treatments, her conditioned seemed to remain consistent, not good but not bad; however things took a turn for the worse. A spot on Tia's tailbone began to form in which her physician's suspected to be cancerous. After sitting in limbo for over a month waiting for a CAT scan Tia's sickness progressed. With her legs, feet, and abdomen swollen, fluid in her lungs, and a weight loss of over 30lbs, Mark brought Tia to the ER. On a Tuesday about three weeks ago Tia recieved a blood transfusion, electrolytes, and a CAT scan of her chest for some reason unknown to them and told them the swelling would go down.
It didn’t.
Ten days later on a Friday, the swelling was still present and her sickness was worse. Tia and Mark went back to the ER the same day she was scheduled to get the CAT scan she had been waiting for initially and after it was done, they were informed the cancer had spread. Tia's cervical cancer had spread not only to her tailbone but to her liver and membranes lining some of her organs. Once again, they were devastated especially when they learned the prognosis was not good.
Tia was then admitted to the hospital and was seen by the pain specialist and the chemo doctor. They advised that chemo would have a one in three chance of working and if it works it could extend her life to maybe a year. If she isn’t strong enough it could kill her in weeks. They also said that if she does nothing at all she will have three to six months left. Mark and Tia are at a loss on what to do and have no clue of which route to take as Tia is not strong enough to go through the chemotherapy. They both feel like this could have all been avoided if someone had done their due diligence early on, but are not here to point fingers. Right now they need your help! Help to keep Tia at home and let her and Mark spend the rest of her life together without having to worry about their growing medical costs and financial hardships.
Mark and Tia could of used this help a long time ago, and my brother has done everything in his control to make ends meet and take care of Tia but it has finally caught up with him. They need help now in order to focus on Tia's health and quality of life. It might be a long shot, but I am hoping this story will be passed along in order to conquer some of their financial stress; every little bit helps. Thank you all so much for your love, prayers, and support.
If you can't give financially, please say a prayer for Tia and Mark.
Thank you.
We would also like to raise awareness for cervical cancer. Please make sure every woman in your lives gets a PAPP test regularly, it could save a life
Organizer
Mark Mastronardi
Organizer
Windsor, ON