Bonita's Cancer Journey Fund

Back in June our beautiful mom was told they had found a mass in her throat. After a few more visits it was confirmed that yes, she had a mass on her Larynx (vocal cords).

Mom was originally given the option of chemo/radiation. After a second opinion, things progressed fast and she was then told her only option now to try and beat the cancer would be a total Laryngectomy (complete removal of her voicebox/reconstruction surgery).

Her biopsy with her ENT Oncologist/Surgeon confirmed stage 4 Laryngeal cancer.

In between her biopsy (late July) surgery (late August) we had some not so manageable situations, especially with aspirating pneumonia/low sodium levels. Those situations left her hospitalized multiple times. Her mass caused the pneumonia and her need for a feeding tube.

Her mass was so large they gave her a 3 month timeline from her diagnosis to the time her airway would completely close without a full Laryngectomy.

August 26th (4 days before her scheduled full Laryngectomy) mom's sodium levels dipped so low that we could not wake her. An ambulance took her to the hospital and within a few days they were able to get her controlled enough/safely enough to proceed with surgery!

Fast forward to the morning of mom's MAJOR 6 hour total Laryngectomy surgery. My sister and I went up at 4am to sit by her side as she started pre-op at 6am.

We had so many emotions sitting there watching her sleep restlessly before she had her surgery.

When mom finally went into surgery it seemed like an eternity before we could go back up to see her. We didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t know if she would be awake.

When she finally got out of post-op, they decided she needed to be placed on the Trauma Surgical unit as her body was struggling to adjust to her new way of breathing.

Nonetheless, SHE WAS ALIVE.

After we left that day, my sister and I couldn’t gather ourselves to leave mom. We cried so much in each other’s arms next to my car in the parking garage.

No one can ever prepare themselves to see their loved one in that state.

Mom had so much to relearn and learn with her new way of life. It took a bit for her to be able to eat again and walk again. She was in the hospital recovering for about two weeks.

We were told after surgery that they found that she not only has Laryngeal cancer, but she also has Thyroid cancer and they had to remove half of her Thyroid as well as her Larynx.

All masses, Larynx, half of her thyroid, and 43 lymphnodes were removed with good margins.

Radiation has now been started and she will be doing 30 rounds monday-friday to hopefully kill off any cancer cells that could’ve been missed.

Moms new way of life includes help with all her cares, transporting her to and from appointments and radiation due to her new language barrier, making all phone calls for appointments she used to be able to do, and much, much more.

We hope she can become more like the woman we all know and love.

All in all, our mom is a FIGHTER and we are behind her 100%.

We are her support system, her caregivers, her friends, her family, and her voice.

Please help us continue to provide cares, rides to appointments, medical supplies not covered by insurance, and any extra expenses that may come up. Our parents do not have any extra income and are both disabled.

Thank you all!! ❤❤❤

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