Denise Dawson Kicking Cancer's Ass

Last fall, Denise discovered a small, pea-sized bump on her neck. It didn’t hurt or itch but it felt weird. What was it? She set it aside to focus on moving her and her husband Danny, back to their hometown of Portland, and starting their new jobs, after being away for almost 20 years. 

A little while later, Denise noticed that the bump was no longer small, it had tripled in size. She made an appointment at a new doctor and prepared for the doctor to laugh at her about this silly bump. Except, the doctor didn’t. She wanted to biopsy it. And, she had more questions – how long had this bad cough been going on?  What was that rash from?

So, she has a new job and no time off. She asked to take a day off and the biopsy turned into day surgery to remove the lump. The biopsy gave alarming news, it was cancer. But, what kind? The primary care doctor immediately made appointments for her to see an oncology doctor. The lump that was removed had multiplied, leaving cancerous nodes throughout her body.  Her diagnosis was terrifying- Stage IV; it was in her organs, blood and skin. And, that bad cough, that was what was in her lungs.   She was diagnosed with Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma, a chronic disease that she will manage for the rest of her life.

During all this, Denise has had to miss a lot of work due to doctor appointments and monthly multi-day chemo treatments.   Danny is working as many hours as possible and picking up additional jobs where he can.  This is where you come in. We’ve recently had good news, that the chemo is working and she appears to be in remission.  But, the bad news is that she needs to continue chemo treatments and will not be able to return to full time work for quite some time.  The bills keep growing.  What we, as her caretakers see, is that while this chemo has been highly effective, it is brutal on her body, her mind, and her spirit, leaving lasting effects.  These are not just physical, they are also mental.  In addition to throwing up, brain fog and overall exhaustion; there is the worry about how to pay the bills. We’re raising this money to help her pay for these  extensive medical bills while she is unable to work full time.

Any amount that you can contribute will help Denise.

 

Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity.

The Dawson Fundraising Team