UPDATE‼️ Shelley has Pancreatic Cancer

UPDATE FROM SHELLEY JULY 26

Hi Everyone!!!

Today I completed infusion # 6 of 12 chemo rounds which will take me into late October. Halfway through. I’ll hopefully be finished the chemo by my birthday on October 30th, assuming my labs are all ok & I don’t have to take any breaks between chemo rounds. I am told that barely anyone makes it through 12 consecutive rounds without a break. It’s one of the toughest chemo regimens according to my oncologist & all the nurses. 

Yesterday my oncologist reviewed my recent CT scan & MRI results with me. The CT scan of my pelvic area appeared clear but the MRI is still showing a nodule on my uterus. He says it most likely is a different type of cancer, totally unrelated to my pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Lucky me! �� This nodule has not increased in size since my last MRI, done 3 months ago, but my oncologist is going to refer me to a gynecology oncologist so that it can be monitored closely. Not sure if I’ll need a hysterectomy yet, after I complete this chemo. I just want to get all of this cancer out of my body!!! �� 

I feel fortunate that my pancreatic cancer was caught early - Stage 1B. Still it is the most aggressive & trickiest cancer to treat, according to my oncologist, with a 12% - 5 year survival rate due to it’s ability to metastasize quickly. The uterine nodule will likely require a biopsy sooner than later. Each round of chemo drains my energy reserves even more than the last. I’m incredibly fatigued always, no matter how much sleep I get. I always had so much energy previous to this diagnosis. Many days I thought I was tired but I never really knew fatigue until now. Chemo is no joke!!! 

My mortgage company has been harassing me on a weekly basis about repaying my 4 missed mortgage payments. Your GoFundMe donations have been incredibly helpful! I will be using them to try to get caught up with my mortgage. I am on state disability which is helpful but it sadly doesn’t pay all of my bills, food plus dog food & my mortgage. When you deal with cancer the financial burden brings added stress which you are supposed to try to avoid while going through treatment.I honestly can’t wait to be able to get back to work again. I need to get back to earning enough to pay my bills!Until then, whatever you can possibly donate to my GoFundMe will help me immensely! THANK YOU ALL for your donations, encouraging words & friendship! ����❤️ It means EVERYTHING to me!!! #itson #fightofmylife #timetogocancer #pancreaticcancer #chemowarriorThank you!Shelley BealsOutlook-hai3tw4r.jpg

Let me tell you about Shelley. She is the hardest-working person I know. She is resilient, resourceful, smart, independent, and painfully proud.I had to fight her for months for her to allow me to post this fundraiser. She only allowed me to do so now, because she is finally beginning to deeply process what this diagnosis means and, most importantly, that SHE CANNOT GET THROUGH THIS ALONE‼️  

She needs support. She needs to build a community. And she needs financial help. Some of you already know Shelley from our Rescue Community and that she lives near Joshua Tree, where she has made her loving home into The Good Chi Sanctuary, where she cares for senior dogs no one else stepped up to rescue. She has always supported herself and her dogs through her work as a specialty catering professional. She managed to get through Covid, when all her work shut down, by re-negotiating her mortgage. During that time, she took in all 5 of her friend’s dogs when she died during COVID‼️ Now she needs financial help for her treatments and recovery from her disease, and whatever else it takes to help her get through her chemo and radiation, including transport to and from treatments, special foods and supplements and other supportive tools. 

Please consider a donation of whatever you can comfortably afford and once this fundraiser is up and running, I will try to figure out how to post some kind of clearinghouse for other ways to help. I know many of you may have valuable information from your own experience, on how to negotiate through this overwhelming and dizzying challenge. Please feel free to message me if you have any suggestions from your own experience fighting cancer and getting through chemo and radiation. One thing I know about Shelley, she has the biggest heart and is deserving of the very best support we can give her. JUST KNOWING SHE HAS YOUR SUPPORT IS CRITICAL to her recovery‼️ So please donate any amount you can comfortably afford, and share on FB and especially IG.

p.s All of Shelley’s dogs are senior rescues and their estimated ages are:

Drake 8 yrs, Cody 14 yrs, Padawan (my little boyfriend) 12 yrs, Chester 12 yrs, Mateo 9 yrs, Parker 11 yrs Lana 8 yrs, Cashew 9 yrs, Bam Bam 10 yrs, Tyson 8 yrs, Tammy 19 yrs