Donate to Keep Brooke’s Battle Against Cancer Alive

UPDATE:

It is with great sadness that we bring news that Brooke’s battle with cancer is over. Brooke thought she had more time. Just a couple weeks before posting her GoFundMe message she had had a procedure to help drain her kidney as it was becoming impinged by a tumor. It was a short procedure that appeared to go well, but doctors eventually thought that it had probably led to an infection, but that was just a guess.

Early Thursday morning on the 5th of September, she was taken by friends to the ER of Methodist Hospital in St Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis close to her apartment, with severe discomfort. A massive amount of fluid was drained from her abdomen, infection was found, and blood clots in her lung . She was admitted to the hospital for observation and additional care. The doctors and staff were wonderful and tried everything they could. They were even willing to give her a chemo treatment that had been denied to her by her health coverage, but the infection had to be cleared first.

Thus began a series of cascading effects and complications leading to multiple organ failures culminating in her passing on September 10th. We want to express extreme appreciation for the generosity of you, the GoFundMe contributors.

We want to be clear that any further donations now are not for continued care, but for the huge amount of unpaid medical bills, estimated to be between $50,000 to $100,000, but this is just a guess.

Thank you GoFundMe contributors,

Brooke’s family

If anyone is further interested in donating to the battle against cancer, I would suggest you go to:

The Foundation for Metabolic Cancer Therapies

This is a 501(c)(3) foundation (EIN #46-4127870).

You can find the "donate" tag on the top row of the foundation site (foundationformetaboliccancertherapies.com).

The Foundation address is 3213 West Main Street #256, Rapid City, SD 57702.

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I always intended my cancer journey to be a private one. I did not want cancer to define me, I wanted to live my life as normal as possible while I fought this battle. I told my parents and siblings. A few friends and co-workers also had to know since there were physical signs and multiple surgeries and recoveries that couldn’t be hidden. I asked them all to not share this and I know that was especially hard on my family. But by doing this I was able to find some level of escape and balance in life. Now I find that my private struggle must become public as I ask for help. I am a 44 year old female Stage IV Cancer patient who is fighting with everything I have to beat this disease.

My battle began in October 2021, 2 months after my 41st birthday, when I woke up with shooting pain in my neck and shoulder. I struggled to move and even sleep the pain was so strong. After multiple days of doctor’s visits, I received a CT scan showing multiple tumors throughout multiple organs. I was immediately admitted to the hospital and life forever changed. I had a good job with a major company and other than deductibles and co-pays, I didn’t think I had to worry about paying for health care. I felt fortunate to be able to have standard of care treatment at the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN.

But cancer and life have thrown me a few more curve balls in 2024 and now sharing my story and asking for financial support is my only way to keep fighting. Around May of 2024 my doctors at Mayo recommended a type of chemo that I had had early on in my treatment but had stopped because it was causing significant neuropathy. But in early 2024, with the tumors still growing, the potential success of the earlier chemo type over-rode the potential for further side effects. However, my insurance coverage labeled this as “experimental” and refused to pay. I was shocked that a chemotherapy regimen could be labeled as experimental for a cancer patient. My oncologist shared that they have never seen this be denied before. I have exhausted the appeal processes available to me. To get this treatment now, I would be responsible to pay the total cost, and that cost was estimated between $8K to $10K per session. That would be $16K to $20K every four weeks! Between insurance determinations of experimental and reaching lifetime maximums of coverage, my bills are mounting. I thought I had good insurance, but I am now going into debt. Furthermore, there are only so many options within the Standard-of-Care regimen for me to have. As I am now denied normal Standard of Care chemo, any alternative treatments I pursue will also fall 100% on me to pay.

Managing cancer for me is like taking on a full-time job. There are constant appointments, incredible stress, research, decision making, planning for when I need help, recovery time from treatments and so much more. It is overwhelming and sometimes I break for a moment from the weight. My body feels like a “thing” that is no longer private. Tubes run in and out of my body; shots and blood draws are now the norm; a room of 5 or more medical personnel while I have a physical exam happens often. I have had organs and tissue removed and I have medical devices implanted that will never be removed. I cope with it because I know its purpose is to help, but it changes you; makes you feel exposed. And yet I choose to fight on because life, family, and friends are worth it! So now I am sharing my story in the hopes that I can continue to battle this disease. I am not ready to give up and I hope that there will be people out there who can find it in their hearts to help support my fight. And I can only hope that someday I will be able to return the favor.