Deborah's Cancer Battle & Farm Fund

Update: May 27, 2023.

My sister’s Deborah’s battle with Stage 4 Brain Cancer (Glioblastoma) is coming to an end. She’s receiving hospice care in her home with our amazing mom who is a registered nurse. Deborah is on leave without pay from her teaching position at Sequoyah HS in Cherokee County Georgia. Their Human Resources department has been an absolute blessing with helping to navigate this process. Deborah still has her mortgage, animals to feed and have cared for, everyday expenses and now has to pay out of pocket for her insurance benefits. The family will also face further end of life expenses.

Please donate and share if possible.

Thank you,

Liz

Hi! My name is Liz and I am raising money for my sister Deborah. Meet Deborah, a 51-year-old healthy and fit special education science teacher in Cherokee County. She loves her little farm with her miniature mule, two goats, five cats, one dog, a variety of chickens, ducks, fish, and amphibians.

That was my sister's life before one day in late June changed everything.

June 27, 2021. The night the lights went out in Georgia. No backwoods Southern lawyer or homicides but instead it’s the day my sister began her battle with brain cancer. What would later be diagnosed as a Grade III – Anaplastic Astrocytoma- a rare malignant brain tumor with frightening survival rates.

A normal day deteriorated quickly into a life-threatening nightmare. It began with confusion and difficulty speaking. Forcing out the words “911” and “hospital” out brought the ambulance and the seizure in the Emergency Room brought quick attention to the severity of the incident. The MRI showed a brain tumor with speculation about its type and grade. With our war on cancer now declared, it was time to lay out the plan for battle. She was admitted to the hospital and on July 1st the biopsy was performed and the devastating diagnosis was received. On August 3rd she had surgery to remove the tumor. and on August 9th the pathology results confirmed the tumor as an incurable one. Appointments with an Oncologist, Neurologist, and Radiation Oncologist followed. The plan was for 42 days of Chemotherapy pills and 33 radiation treatments began on Sept. 2nd. The month slowly progressed with radiation Monday through Friday and Chemotherapy pills daily until she had a reaction to the pills and had to stop them in early Oct. On Oct 2nd there was another trip to the ER. Deborah woke up on the floor with blood on her (face from a laceration above her eye) after having a syncopal episode. More tests were done and IV fluids were given and she was allowed to return home that afternoon.

Due to the seizures, Deborah is not able to drive for at least six months. Her daughter (who is in college and works full-time) and our mother (retired) are providing transportation to her appointments and all other needs. There are more tests, more chemotherapy, and potentially more procedures to come.

It is not yet known when, or truly if, my sister will be able to return to her work as a Special Education Science teacher. She currently has two children living at home, her daughter who is twenty, and her son, a high school senior, is seventeen. Medical bills are mounting as well as the mortgage ($76,000), household, and farm costs. Not only is the farm backbreaking daily work but there are also endless expenses for feed, supplies, upkeep, and the mortgage. Deborah's sick leave is almost depleted and her disability pay will not cover their expenses.

The weight of Deborah's physical and emotional costs is overwhelming.

Please help ease the financial burden by donating as you are able.

Thank you so much for the love, prayers, and contributions,

Liz and family