Anna Rodgers' Cancer Treatment Fundraiser

In May of 2023 Anna Rodgers went to the ER for what she suspected was the flu. While there, she began hemorrhaging. Her ER doctor did a CT scan and an ultrasound of her pelvis and referred her to her gynecologist for a biopsy. Her gynecologist said it was very rare for someone her age to have uterine cancer, so she didn’t need to to worry. A few weeks later, Anna’s gynecologist told her that the tissue samples he sent from the biopsy revealed malignant cells and she would have to go to a gynecological oncologist for cancer treatment

Anna Rodgers has been married to her husband, Andrew, for over 20 years. They are parents to a sweet, friendly, funny 6 year old girl named Alexis and a rambunctious golden retriever puppy. Over the years, foster children and foreign exchange students have also been parts of their family. Anna got her nursing degree from Michigan State University and worked as a NICU nurse for over 10 years, taking care of premature babies and their families. After her time in the NICU, she became a school nurse, working for 8 years at an elementary school in Michigan. Recently, she began helping to train the next generation of nurses as a student learning specialist at Chamberlain University.

After researching what could give Anna the best chance of beating her cancer, Andrew and Anna decided to go to one of the best cancer hospitals in the country, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. Fortunately, the doctors could offer her a course of treatment but, unfortunately, it would also involve a number of expensive trips from Charlotte to Houston and an extended stay in Texas.

Upon evaluating Anna’s case, the doctor advised a radical hysterectomy to hopefully remove all her cancer. Anna agreed to the treatment and flew back to Charlotte NC. In July, Anna and her family flew back to Houston and she had the surgery that everyone hoped would end her fight with cancer. What was supposed to be an outpatient surgery turned into 3 nights in the hospital. Once discharged, Anna was too weak and in too much pain to travel, so she and her family had to stay another two weeks in Houston until she could travel.

Over 90% of the time, surgery is the end of treatment. Unfortunately, the pathology came back and cancer cells were found in Anna's lymph nodes that were removed during surgery. Her doctor recommended radiation treatments to hopefully stop cancer cells from spreading. Anna learned that she will need to have radiation treatments 5 days a week for 6 weeks. This meant that Anna and her family were going to need to temporarily relocate to Houston so that Anna could get the radiation treatments needed to kill any existing cancer cells.

The amazing staff at MD Anderson is very optimistic about Anna’s long-term prognosis. However, like many other cancer patients, the journey to a cure can be a long one that can be costly both financially and emotionally. Anna has been on leave from her job due to illness and then for her extended treatments, which leave her with extreme fatigue, nausea and other issues. Andrew has also had to take Family Medical Leave from his work to care for Anna.

Contributions made will be used for medical expenses, travel expenses, rent for an apartment in Houston during treatment, daycare for their daughter, and boarding their puppy, Luna.

Please consider contributing to Anna’s family. Any donations, prayers, well wishes or simply sharing her story with your social media accounts would be greatly appreciated in order to help get her story out. Your support through their journey means the world to them. Please feel free to share Anna’s story on your social media site and with your family and friends.

Finally, Anna would also like to share some of the following symptoms of uterine Cancer to try and help others with early discovery:

Vaginal bleeding after menopause

Bleeding between periods

Pelvic pain