Help Grace Fight

Most of you know Grace, and her story.

https://blog.coolibar.com/tag/grace-pophal/

After six years of battling and managing her stage IV metastatic melanoma, a concerning scan brought Grace and Des back to Cleveland last July. A biopsy a few weeks later confirmed a resurgence of her cancer. Grace had 12 new tumors. She immediately started back on targeted therapy (an oral form of chemo). Recurrent scans a few months later revealed that the two most concerning tumors (located on her left tibia and spine) were unresponsive to her current treatment plan. After a weeklong hospital stay, Grace’s oncologist identified radiation as the best path forward. Another scan revealed that the two most problematic tumors remain unchanged. Once again, Grace started back on immunotherapy.

After going through another long and challenging road of immunotherapy, The tumor on Grace’s tibia did not respond to radiation, and the growth caused her tibia bone to weaken significantly. Last week, Grace underwent surgery to reinforce her tibia and prevent fracture.

Leading up to the surgery, Grace was experiencing increased pain, debilitating headaches, and blurred vision. Once at the clinic, an MRI of Grace’s brain revealed a new tumor. Next week, Grace will start gamma knife radiation to address the tumor in her brain. The presence of the new tumor is evidence that her oncologist will need to identify and pursue a new treatment plan.

A cancer diagnosis is one of the biggest tragedies anyone has to go through and something nobody should experience. Grace has shown so much bravery and strength during her fight against this horrible disease, and I'm reaching out to our community to help her stand against it by making a donation. Our goal with this fundraiser is to alleviate the burden and stress of her current health and help her experience life again the best she can. Grace has spent the last six years fighting to stay alive, so let's help her fight for a better future.

Cancer can take away many things, but one thing we won't let it shatter is hope.