Dana Barton’s Medical Fund for Stage 4 Melanoma

Dear friends and family, we have joined together to create a GoFund me for Dana to use for the growing amount of medical expenses during her treatment for Stage 4 Melanoma. For those of you who know Dana, know of her kindred spirit, generosity, and loving heart. She is an incredible daughter, sister and friend that cherishes her loved ones with unconditional love and support. Dana goes above and beyond for others with compassion, all the while lighting up the room with her contagious smile and fun loving personality. She has been there for many of us when we needed help, but now is the time that we come together to support Dana during this heartbreaking journey and lift her up as she stays strong.

Dana has been battling Melanoma since 2019, when she had her first surgery. At that point, her Melanoma was Stage 2. Following that surgery, all of her margins were clear and she had routine skin checks and follow ups with her oncologist where all seemed to be well. Fast forward to April of 2021, she noticed a lump on her stomach which raised concern and after having the lump biopsied, unfortunately Melanoma cells were detected. She was immediately scheduled for a PET scan and MRI which showed her Melanoma had reoccurred and metastasized to her brain, nodes, and bones. At that point it had reached her bloodstream and traveled to those areas of her body progressing into Stage 4 Melanoma. She then started on targeted therapy with a good response, but unfortunately the disease progressed in her brain after transitioning to an immunotherapy treatment in September of 2021, which was unsuccessful. She reinitiated targeted therapy in October of 2021 as her MRI still showed intracranial progression. There was a period where the disease seemed stable from the targeted therapy but as of May, 2022, one of the lesions in her brain showed progression. She was then referred to a radiology oncologist and had targeted SRS radiation to the lesion in her brain in June of 2022. There was slight regression of the disease after this treatment but unfortunately after continuing the targeted therapy, her following brain MRI in October of 2022 showed that multiple lesions in her brain had increased in size as well as new lesions appearing. She then began traveling for different opinions and sought medical opinions from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Weill Cornell in New York, and Duke Cancer Center in Durham. A brain penetrant trial was found that she was recommended for by all of these doctors, which she started November of 2022. During the trial, Dana began experiencing seizures and was in and out of the ER multiple times. She is now on anti-seizure medication and continues to experience seizures and sensory issues in her face, neck, and arms. After one month on the trial in December of 2022, they took her off as her brain MRI showed more progression. Given the progression of the disease she was advised that if her disease continues to progress and a new treatment option is not successful, her overall prognosis of life is a year or less. Due to the seizures, Dana is unable to work or drive her car. The anxiety and stress she experiences is debilitating and she just needs our help. Dana has insurance, but the co-pays and deductibles add up. To be seen at some of the out-of-state cancer centers, even with insurance, carries a huge deductible in addition to co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses. For example, the deductible for MD Anderson in Houston, with Dana’s insurance is $16,250. Her first upcoming visit had to be booked as a self pay due to insurance complications with MD Anderson and has been estimated to be approximately $1,800. She is looking for other out of state options such as Sloan Kettering, Yale School of Medicine and Lennox Hill which all are going to cost significantly more. Dana has shown incredible courage and strength with grace and poise. Her determination is admirable but we all need help sometimes. No one should have to fight alone, and although we cannot take away her pain or cure this cancer, we can give her love and support to make this journey a little less painful. We are beyond grateful for any help you can give. Thank you, in advance, for your love, support and prayers.