Mackenzie Gates Health & Healing
Donation protected
Mackenzie Gates is known to many people in the Roaring Fork Valley. Perhaps you have known her for a long time, as she was born, raised & educated in Aspen. You may recognize her as the Cliffhouse manager on Buttermilk Mountain where she managed teams for 8 winters or maybe you know her as a leader with European Caterers. Perhaps you have seen her drop off at Basalt Elementary (Quincy) or Basalt Middle School (Laelia). Or maybe you know Mackenzie from her gentle kindness, her smart & funny girls, her generous spirit or her collection of chickens, ducks & turkeys.
The crux of this introduction is to let you know that in August Mackenzie received a diagnosis of colon cancer. This resulted in multiple doctor visits, scans, different ways to proceed, questions, uncertainty and a lot of hand wringing. In mid- August Mackenzie had surgery to remove the cancerous tumor around the colon: removing an 8" section of colon in the process. While under anesthesia she also had lesions on her liver biopsied. Surgery was successful in removing the colon cancer, but the lesions are still cause for concern because they are hard to diagnose. Moving forward Mackenzie will be monitored closely with blood work & scans. Once the diagnosis was given, life was upended and Mackenzie had to reduce work hours before stopping completely for surgery; resulting in a large loss of income in the summer & fall.
While fortunate to have good insurance, it does not cover everything. The hospital bills are starting to arrive on a frequent basis causing anxiety at a time when healing is the main focus. We are starting a Go Fund Me account to help this family pay for the current and future expenses associated with the Big C. A cancer diagnosis is something you live with for the rest of your life-changing things forever and an expensive proposition. The future holds costly tests every 3 to 6 months for many years with the expectation to annually max out her insurance deductible.
By asking for $30,000 to cover now and potentially into the future we can give the gift of relieving this stressor, allowing Mackenzie to heal and rejoin us as that wonderfully funny, kind, caring & compassionate person
If you prefer to use Venmo her account is: Mackenzie-Gates-3
The crux of this introduction is to let you know that in August Mackenzie received a diagnosis of colon cancer. This resulted in multiple doctor visits, scans, different ways to proceed, questions, uncertainty and a lot of hand wringing. In mid- August Mackenzie had surgery to remove the cancerous tumor around the colon: removing an 8" section of colon in the process. While under anesthesia she also had lesions on her liver biopsied. Surgery was successful in removing the colon cancer, but the lesions are still cause for concern because they are hard to diagnose. Moving forward Mackenzie will be monitored closely with blood work & scans. Once the diagnosis was given, life was upended and Mackenzie had to reduce work hours before stopping completely for surgery; resulting in a large loss of income in the summer & fall.
While fortunate to have good insurance, it does not cover everything. The hospital bills are starting to arrive on a frequent basis causing anxiety at a time when healing is the main focus. We are starting a Go Fund Me account to help this family pay for the current and future expenses associated with the Big C. A cancer diagnosis is something you live with for the rest of your life-changing things forever and an expensive proposition. The future holds costly tests every 3 to 6 months for many years with the expectation to annually max out her insurance deductible.
By asking for $30,000 to cover now and potentially into the future we can give the gift of relieving this stressor, allowing Mackenzie to heal and rejoin us as that wonderfully funny, kind, caring & compassionate person
If you prefer to use Venmo her account is: Mackenzie-Gates-3
Organizer and beneficiary
Henrietta Ransom Oliver
Organizer
Carbondale, CO
Mackenzie Gates
Beneficiary