Lauren Candela Rare and Destructive Spinal Tumor

My name is Betty Jo Hyman...but that's not why I'm here. It's about my beloved niece, Lauren Candela.

Life can change in the blink of an eye.

In January 2023, Lauren was picking up a case of water when she heard and felt a pop in the center of her back right between her upper shoulder blades. There was also a spreading warmth from the area. And pain. Lots of pain.

Thinking that she had pulled something, she went to physical therapy and a chiropractor. After several months of treatment, nothing was better. So, she went to a doctor to get some scans. When she got the notice that her scans were available for viewing on her medical website, she went to look. What she saw was frightening. Having worked in radiology and various scans for most of her career, she knew what she was seeing was dangerous. There was a mass and a void in one of her vertebrae.

Not wanting to rely on her own eyes, she sent the scans to several friends in radiology. They all had the same response: get to the emergency room as soon as you can.

Once she was there, they admitted her. After several days, several tests, several scans, many doctors, and a biopsy, the answers are still not clear. Worst case scenario: malignant cancer. Best case scenario: aneurysmal bone cyst. With several things in between. All of them aggressive and all of them dangerous to varying degrees. And all of them require surgery around and on her spine.

There are fractures and a hole in one of her vertebrae along with a mass beside it.

The first surgery requires that they come through the front. A cardiac surgeon must be part of the team because they must go through her sternum and move several of her organs to get to the vertebrae. Once inside, they will remove the interior part of the vertebrae and replace it with some kind of metal cage like structure that will act as the removed vertebrae.

Two days later:

The second surgery goes through the back. They will remove the back part of the vertebrae and replace it with rods and pins to work in tandem with the part added to the front to replace the whole vertebrae and remove all the diseased area.

The team said that this is an exotic approach to them because of the difficulty in reaching the area of the tumor and the difficulty in identifying it.

Her aftercare will include two injections weekly at an infusion center to strengthen her bones and to help treat the type of tumors that they believe they are. There will be more treatments if it proves to be cancerous after final pathology.

Lauren and her husband, Anthony, will both have to be off for at least 90 days. They have two small children 3 and under. Children that cannot be picked up by their mother. children that are too young to understand what is happening. Children who are in danger of losing their mother during this process should the unthinkable happen.

Lauren is a devoted wife, an amazing mother, and a loving family member. She is one of the funniest people and brings light to anyone who knows her.

We all have times of need. Lauren has never hesitated to help others when it has been brought to her attention. This family has seen a tragic year already. Within a matter of a few months, Lauren lost both grandmothers and Anthony lost his father.

I would like to ask you to help me ease the burden of this family. The costs that will be incurred will come from many sources. There are the medical costs of the surgery, hospital stays, medicines, her aftercare, and treatments. There is also the cost of losing several months of income during this time. There are also the costs of regular life such as food, transportation, home payment, etc. that will be needed. There will also be a need for childcare. These are only a few of the things that we know will need to be taken care of.

Any and all donations are greatly appreciated...more than we can even say. Thank you!