Leah's Medical Fund

It's the kind of thing you only expect to happen to "someone else," and not to someone you love.  Just before Christmas, my baby sister, Leah, was diagnosed with rapid growing Stage 2A breast cancer.  Leah is only 25 years old.  She is the bravest and strongest person I know.  She dedicated her life to helping others and is a full time social worker in South Florida.  She lives alone, and my husband and I are her closest family (3 hours away).

I spent most of last week in South Florida with Leah, attending multiple doctor's appointments with her. Most of the results from her tests are back in. We are very happy that the PET scan showed no trace of metastasis anywhere else in her body. She is triple negative for some other tests with fancy names. Notably, she is negative for HER2, which ultimately determines how the doctors decide on a chemo protocol. She will likely undergo 4-5 months of chemo and will more than likely lose all of her hair. She already purchased a wig to prepare for this outcome. We are still waiting on the genetic test to determine if she has the BRAC gene. If she is positive for this gene, she has a 60-80% chance of cancer recurrence. If BRAC positive, the doctors recommended a double mastectomy. If she is negative for this gene, and the tumor responds to treatment, she will have a lumpectomy, followed by 6 weeks of daily radiation treatments.

Just a couple days ago, she had a chemo port installed.  She is scheduled to start treatments on Friday Jan. 13.  She is also racing the clock to save her eggs before chemo starts, since it is known to cause infertility.  My husband and I were able to sell items around our house to come up with the money to harvest her eggs.

In the midst of all of this chaos, Leah will be moving closer to the cancer treatment center. We are all pulling together to make this as easy as possible for her. But between endless doctors’ appointments, surgeries, incredible fatigue, AND working full time, this is overwhelming and exhausting for her. But she has been in good spirits and has kept a very positive attitude throughout this whole experience. She is already touching so many people with her determination and faith.

Your donations will be used towards her endless co-pays and doctor's visits, as well as daily expenses such as food.  Although she has a fulltime job, she has been missing a lot of work for doctor's appointments.  Once chemo starts, it is likely she will need to miss even more work.  Although her job is covered for 12 weeks under FMLA, her pay check is NOT.  Once she exhausts her vacation and sick leave, she could be in a financial bind unless we raise money to help her out.

I ask for your prayers and support. Please share this campaign with all of your contacts. Leah needs our help. I know God will provide for this sweet girl.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

-Charise