Help Emily on her journey to healing from Melanoma

This is Emily Rose. Emily is my niece, she’s a UCF
student, a dancer, a fitness instructor, a daughter, a sister, a part time comedian (at least I think so), a  motivator, a friend, an inspiration, and a stage IV 
Melanoma warrior.

Emily was diagnosed with Stage 2b Melanoma at
age 15. She missed a season of competitive dance and cheerleading to have surgery at Moffitt
Cancer Center to remove the cancer, a chain of
lymph nodes from her neck and collar bone and a
skin graph. She was monitored for 5 years with no reoccurrence.

In May 2019, she started having headaches and
what she thought were panic attacks. We all tried
to ease her mind and told her that she was
exhausted, dehydrated, anxious, and a laundry list of other things, but she knew something was
wrong. She insisted we get her an MRI.  In May she came home from school for the MRI and the
doctor called immediately after to have us go
straight to Moffitt. We knew something was
terribly wrong. She never went back to UCF. The Melanoma had spread to her brain, lungs, bones,
muscles and pancreas. She was now stage 4. The
panic attacks were in fact seizures from the brain
tumors.

Emily immediately began an aggressive treatment of Immunotherapy and Stereotactic Radiosurgery for the 10 brain tumors and other systemic tumorsShe experienced two grand mal seizures the day
after radiosurgery and as a bonus from the
Immunotherapy, developed Gastritis and
Pancreatitis. The side effects were brutal but she
managed to stay positive and endure. We were
hopeful this treatment was working, but it did not.

In September, just after Em’s 21st Birthday,
doctors started her on a targeted Chemotherapy
pill called Taflinar & Mekinist. We were so hopeful this was the answer at least for a long term fix. We read of the success rates of patients that thrived
for 1-5 years without reoccurrence. We thought
she would be fine for years to come, and give us more time to find a permanent solution. She was
feeling great, started teaching Cyclebar classes
again, began personal training with her now
boyfriend (that's a whole other story) and planned to relocate back to Orlando to return to UCF in
January. She rented an apartment and was excited to return to life.

On Christmas Eve, she was having headaches and pain so we took her to the urgent care at Moffitt.
Secretly, she knew the cancer was growing as she had a few new spots that she could feel under her
skin. She didn't tell us this until we got there
because she didn't want us to worry over the
holidays. They performed an MRI and determined that the cancer had in fact spread to her
cerebellum and cerebrum. We waited for the PET scan on 1/7/20 to confirm what we already knew. The Targeted Therapy was not working.

Now what? When standared of care fails you, it's
time for a clinical trial. We researched, wrote
emails, made countless phone calls and have made progress in locating a trial. We also found out that
in order to be accepted in to most trials, Emily
needed a clear brain. No active disease. To
accomplish this, she completed 6 days of
stereotactic radiation treatment. In addition, while we wait for a trial, she is doing Immunotherapy
and the Taf/Mek again in an effort to keep her
brain clear until trial opens.

My brother and sister in law have missed countless hours of work for doctors appts, procedures,
infusions, ER visits, trips out of state for second
and third opinions, and hours upon hours of
researching clinical trials. We are currently waiting for a clinical trial called TILs Therapy. Emily and at
least one parent will need to travel to wherever
the Clinical Trial brings them and stay for a 
minimum of 15-30 days.  The trial is intense and
involves Chemotherapy, T cells and Interferon
which is very toxic but we believe she is strong
enough to get through it and finally be
cancer free.

We are asking for help offsetting medical expensestravel expenses, household expenses due to an
inability to work and car rental while they are
away.

Thank you so very much for taking the time to read Em’s story. We are so incredibly grateful for all of
your support and prayers. Emily will win this battleI know this, we are asking for your help to get her
there!