Stand With Azalia, Cancer Warrior

My name is Lauren Schaller, and I have created this GoFundMe to support Azalia and Mar-Lee Taylor, two amazing people I met while working as a volunteer missionary in Orocovis, Puerto Rico.  Mar-Lee was the Conversational English teacher at Colegio San Juan Bautista and Azalia is her 13 year old daughter. Not many people spoke English in Orocovis and we both share a passion for holistic living, plant-based food, travel and cultural experiences. We became fast friends, and the two of them were like my family away from home.

Meet Azalia & Mar-Lee
Mar-Lee is the type of woman who invites you into her world and shares with you the ins and outs of life as she has experienced it, and is always there if you need anything.  I honestly learned just as much from Mar-Lee and our conversations as I did from the volunteer experience itself.  Azalia is a beautiful and talented girl; she lights up the room the moment she bounces in.   She is very energetic and loves to meet new people. She is fluent in Spanish and English. Like her mother, she shares a passion for healthy choices.  Basically Azalia is a mini-Mar-Lee.

Mar-Lee and Azalia have a very strong and open relationship with God, which also was very influential to me as I am working to strengthen my own relationship with Him. Their faith and trust is steadfast, and when faced with a challenge they always offer it up to Him. They are a source of inspiration to me and all who know them.

Azalia's Story
In December of 2016, Azalia and Mar-Lee were hit with unbelievably shocking news - Azalia was uncharacteristically feeling sick to her stomach and a trip to the ER ultimately led the discovery of a mass in her abdomen. On December 12th Azalia underwent surgery to remove the mass, which per the pathology report was 13.5 x 13 x 10 cm and weighed 660 grams (bigger than a softball!). The surgery was a success and the tumor that was removed was completely encapsulated. This was a great thing and provided a little bit of relief that perhaps if it was malignant it wouldn’t have spread anywhere else.  They received the pathology report on January 3, 2017.  The diagnosis, according to the biopsy. showed that the mass was malignant- an ENDODERMAL SINUS TUMOR or YOLK SAC TUMOR.  This type of cancer is known to be aggressive and mutates quickly to the brain, lungs and bones.  Her AFP and her CA 125 levels from post-surgery were extremely high, causing more alarm and concern.

"Protocols" Change Lives
The protocol for this type of cancer is chemotherapy. According to this protocol, Azalia has to receive 3-4 cycles of chemotherapy every 21 days. Chemotherapy is administered over five days during a six-day admission and she receives three chemo drugs.  This protocol changed their life completely, turning it upside-down. As they have to be in the hospital in San Juan for treatment for so long, Mar-Lee was unable to continue working in Orocovis- a two hour drive in traffic. She is a single mother, and Azalia’s father passed away four years ago.  They have no family on the island to help them.  Mar-Lee devotes 100% of her time to caring for Azalia and getting them through this difficult situation. A diagnosis like this isn't just about the hospital stays... it requires a complete and total commitment and it was this commitment that completely rearranged their lives. She has spent countless days and hours researching, completing paperwork, on the phone with doctors and case workers, and pushing through the systems to get the resources and insurance and benefits they need to survive with no income.   Mar-Lee and Azalia are dedicated to not only following the required conventional treatment but eating a mostly raw diet, eliminating sugars and other toxins that feed cancer and enable it to grow.  They believe in helping the body heal even with the onslaught of chemical toxins from the chemotherapy drugs and their many side effects.  Eating healthy organic produce is even more expensive here on the island because everything is imported.  

More Than Conquerors
I spent a lot of time with them before I came home, including a week after their first round of chemo and I was amazed at the dedication and determination of these two “more than conquerors”.  Azalia is truly inspirational; where other kids, really anyone, undergoing chemo may want to eat traditional "comfort foods" or indulge in the candy and sweets that are brought to the kids in hospitals, Azalia consumes smoothies, juices, and eats the fruits and vegetables Mar-Lee prepares for her no matter how she is feeling. Azalia educates other patients and their families about the dangers of eating sugar with or without having cancer.  It is really impressive the way Azalia is handling her chemo side effects. Despite a little nausea, loss of appetite and the loss of her hair, you honestly otherwise wouldn't know the child had cancer. She has been mostly able to maintain her normal energy levels and is SO OPTIMISTIC about the entire experience.  We trust it will continue this way, and believe her healthy lifestyle is a big factor in the way she is handling and responding to chemo.

Spreading Awareness
Mar-Lee and Azalia have been proactive and ultimately want to take their experience with pediatric cancer and spread awareness about some of the holes in Puerto Rico’s systems and lack of resources that make it difficult for all families with a pediatric cancer diagnosis. They don’t have the same things we take for granted here in the States. Once treatment is finished, Azalia hopes to start a non – profit foundation with the goal of educating other kids with cancer on the benefits of juicing, utilizing supplements, and eating fresh organic fruits and vegetables to complement chemotherapy. She wants more people to understand how these lifestyle changes allow the body to heal, restore, and accelerate and maximize the growth of good cells.  She wants to be a source of support during other children's paths to healing.  

I believe their unwavering faith that God will take care of them, and their dedication to following a healthy lifestyle to combat this diagnosis, is very important to share. They are a shining example of faith and determination in the face of adversity. They are in constant dialogue with the Lord, staying positive and trusting that He will guide them through this difficult time.  We trust and believe the He can use anyone to help them.  If He puts it in your heart to help them, please do.

How You Can Help
Prayers and shares are much appreciated.

No donation is too small. 

The money from this GoFundMe will go toward the following expenses that have been building up since the diagnosis:

♦      Medical bills

♦      Past due school fees

♦      Bank loans

♦      Car payments

♦      Rent and utilities

♦      Organic groceries (so that Azalia can continue to eat clean!)

♦      Supplements (not covered by insurance) that help restore the good cells allowing them to overcome, survive and thrive the onslaught of chemo drugs

 ♦      Moving costs

Any residual donations will be put towards starting Azalia's non-profit.

At this point in time, Puerto Rico is not supported by WePay, GoFundMe's third-party payment partner. Because Azalia and Mar-Lee reside in Puerto Rico I will be withdrawing funds on a weekly basis and immediately transferring them to Mar-Lee via PayPal.

You Will Forever Be Appreciated.
Mar-Lee and Azalia are extremely thankful for any support you can give.

This means a lot to me because they are my friends. Mar-Lee and Azalia are making their cause bigger than themselves … they want to take this experience and focus their lives moving forward on helping others in similar situations.

If you would like to know more details about their experience and what Mar-Lee has been through with the doctors here on the island, it is a story worth writing in a blog. Stay tuned for the announcement of our blog to be out soon.