Diagnosed with Cancer at 27, Help with Medical

Hi, my name is Tiana Short, and I am 27 years old. I am a bartender, business, owner, and mother of two who lives in Central Florida.

I have always been in good health, until October of this past year I started to lose grip in my right hand. I chalked it up to aches and pains of being in the service industry for so long, and put it on the back burner for a month or so. Around the end of January, my hand began swelling, but it never went down. And I started to notice that I could no longer push my ring and middle finger together on my right hand. Nor could I make a full fist.

I went to the emergency room, and they prescribed me anti-inflammatory medication, told me I was showing signs of carpal tunnel, and that I needed to see a hand specialist. I am uninsured, so it took me a while to come up with the money to visit the hand specialist for the first time, and once I did, he simply told me that I needed to go get an MRI before we could move forward. I then had to save up for another two weeks or so, during which time my hand continue to swell more and I lost more grip and range of motion, then paid for an MRI out-of-pocket, and had to pay for yet another visit to the hand specialist, for him to read the results.

He then referred me to an orthopedic oncologist, because the MRI results show a large and aggressive tumor in my right hand, located in between my third and fourth fingers. I was told that they couldn’t give me a definite of diagnosis, but I look to have osteosarcoma.

I am now looking for help in order to schedule the biopsy, in order to get the definition of diagnosis, so that I can begin radiation. I have since found a lump in my armpit, and my lower back. The next step for me to take is to meet with a social worker for insurance, which I am, but I also need to schedule the biopsy so that we can begin treatment options.

The tumor has tripled in size over the course of the past two months, and I now struggle with basic day-to-day tasks, such as putting my hair up, doing dishes, sweeping, and even sleeping at night has become almost impossible due to the tumor pressing all of my nerves, muscles, and bones together. They give me prescriptions for pain medication, but I can’t afford them.

This has in turn caused me to have to miss a lot of work. I am a server and a bartender, and it is becoming progressively harder to hold plates and cups in my right hand, and it is nearly impossible to mix a drink with one hand. Paying for medical expenses, out-of-pocket, along with missing work, I have flown through majority of my savings, and now I am starting to panic.

I am asking for help with medical expenses, so that the money that I do have left, and what I’m still able to bring in from working, I am able to use towards my household bills.

If anyone would like to see paperwork to prove these diagnoses or copies of my XRays & MRIs I would be more than happy to provide them.

I will provide updates as I receive them. As of now I am still working as much as possible and trying to maintain a positive attitude until I know more!