Christina's Lung Cancer Fund

Hi, my name is Christina Secchi. The end of September took an unexpected and drastic change in my life. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic lung cancer....and then on October 6, my dad lost his battle with cancer. His death came sooner then expected and was heartbreaking. So, on top of dealing with a devastating cancer diagnosis, I lost my dad and the grief has been almost unbearable.

I am starting this fundraiser to alleviate ongoing financial stress as I begin treatment as it very time consuming and costly. My insurance does cover my chemotherapy and some procedures so this GoFundMe will cover essentials such as:

-PROCEDURES NOT FULLY COVERED OR COVERED AT ALL BY INSURANCE: I have to have a PET Scan once every 3-5 months to see monitor the spread of my cancer and to treat it further. I also have to have a Thoracentesis (the removal of fluid in my lung) every 4-6 weeks to reduce pain and discomfort. Blue Cross tends to not cover these procedures and a thoracentesis alone can be up to $400.

-NUTRITIONIST: I have already lost too much weight for my body from the nausea I get from the chemo and I am struggling with eating. I had to bring on a nutritionist so I can get the proper nutrients in my body so I do not lose any more weight or get more sick. Insurance does not care to cover any of this.

-THERAPY/PSYCHO-THERAPY: With the loss of my dad and this diagnosis, I am sure it it no surprise than I am really struggling and battling a lot of depression. I can barely get out of bed some days and this lack of motivation and low energy does not help me in any way whatsoever. I need to gain some positivity and some light again in order to push through and lately, I am spending my days crying.

-LOST INCOME: I can not work while I am going through treatment at the moment and grieving for the loss of my dad. My body is still trying to adjust to the chemotherapy so I get sick very easily and it is impossible for me to hold a job right now. My oncologist says it takes about 3-5 months to start feeling better and more like myself....I hope it is sooner rather then later.

TRANSPORTATION: I have a lot of people who take my to appointments, the hospital, procedures because I can't drive due to the medications. I would like to be able to provide them with gas money so I could show them how grateful I am for their help. I live in San Jose and my Oncologist is in Mountain View and with traffic, the drives can be long.

CO-PAYS/ADDITIONAL DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS: I have a high copayment of $85 every time I just go see one of my doctors. And I always receive a bill for something or another that my insurance chose not to cover that day. If I have to go to the ER for any reason, which happens more often then you would think...I have to pay $600 just to be seen.

NEW YEAR/NEW DEDUCTIBLE: As we roll into January, I will have a brand new deductible to meet which is extremely high. EXTREMELY HIGH. A lot of people have told me to switch to Medi Cal which would be reasonable and understandable....but in doing so, I would lose all my doctors that I have been working with which terrifies me. I went above and beyond to find the right team for me that yes, my insurance "mostly" covers. Unfortunately, it is still incredibly expensive to get care for cancer. I am not unique. Sadly, this is happening for a lot of people in my position.

It is a very costly and with already being overwhelmed with appointments and doctors and tests, I can't have this constantly weighing on me. I really do not want to put this financial stress onto my mom because she is dealing with the loss of my dad, her husband of 52 years and it is a lot for her and it breaks my hurt. I don't want to be her burden and I want to figure out a way to contribute so she doesn't feel so anxious. She has cancer as well, and I need her to be healthy and okay. She's all I have.

Thank you for taking the time to read this page, and I hope you consider donating. Any amount is appreciated. I am going to be starting a blog on my journey through this so stay tuned. If you are interested in reading about it, I will post the link to this page once I get it going.

Thank you again.

Cheers,

Christina Secchi