Help Marie Salamone Beat Stage IV Lung Cancer

Dear friends, to all of you who know Marie, you won't be surprised to hear that she continues to be strong and maintains her positive outlook while enduring treatment, despite some setbacks.

Unfortunately, chemotherapy was not as effective as expected; the tumor in Marie's lung increased in size by a few centimeters and chemo was abruptly stopped. While recovering and regaining strength she slipped on the ice and wound up back in the hospital with a severe concussion and neck injury. With the support and help from her granddaughter Gia, friends and family Marie is beginning to feel like herself again, and is preparing for surgery to remove the tumor in her lung on March 4th. She faces a grueling and difficult recovery after the removal of the lower lobe of her right lung, with more chemotherapy and radiation to follow.

Please send thoughts and prayers to Marie for a successful surgery and outcome. The more love and support that she feels will make the grueling recovery that she is facing a little easier!

As Marie has been, and will be unable to work for the foreseeable future, her expenses continue to grow, as does the burden of the financial strain that she feels. Please take a moment to share this fundraiser with as many people as possible so that Marie can focus entirely on her recovery.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and keeping Marie in your prayers.

Update - Since I last posted, Marie has undergone multiple rounds of radiation and recovered like a champion from her brain surgery. Her care has been transferred to Dana Farber in Boston, where she will undergo 3 cycles of chemotherapy starting tomorrow. Assuming her chemotherapy is successful and shrinks the tumor to 3cm, in March she will be having more surgery to remove the right lower lobe of her lung.

Thank you all for your generosity and messages of love and support. It has made a world of difference for Marie. With all these upcoming procedures, donations and prayers are more important than ever. Please share this if you can, and donate if you are able!

With much love

When Marie started to feel ill a few months ago she powered through and continued to work, cared for everyone around her, and was characteristically positive and upbeat; until she became so ill that she could no longer walk or talk.

A month ago, after being rushed to the hospital, she was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic non-small cell lung cancer which had spread to her brain. Marie had emergency surgery to remove a large brain tumor that had been causing her severe symptoms and now she faces a grueling regimen of radiation, chemotherapy, surgery, and immunotherapy.

If you are lucky enough to know Marie you will understand how very special she is, and how devastating this is for her and her loved ones. About 14 years ago, due to a death in the family, Marie gained custody of her five-year-old grandson, uprooted her life, and moved to Brookline MA to live in a good school district. Not long after, she was granted guardianship of her granddaughter and welcomed her with open arms. Over the years she has worked so hard to provide her grandchildren with a stable and loving home so that they could overcome the trauma that they had experienced in their very young lives.

This has come at no small cost for Marie; raising them by herself, she had to give up her job and her lifestyle and found herself just scraping by. Despite this, over the years, her home has always been a safe and happy space, filled with kids hanging out after school, who would always find themselves invited to stay for a delicious pasta dinner. In fact, it’s not just the kids in the neighborhood who are drawn to Marie. She is always the first person to drop off a meal for a sick neighbor, she is always there to offer a kind word and invite you in for a chat, and always happy to offer a milk bone to all of the neighborhood dogs.

Marie is the definition of “community”, she has always been there for her loved ones and the people around her, and now she needs our support.

Just as she sent her grandchildren off to college (her grandson a sophomore, and her granddaughter a freshman), she was diagnosed with this devastating illness. Unable to work due to the various surgeries and treatments, Marie faces mounting expenses; medical bills, home healthcare, college fees, as well as the basic cost of living. With your help and support, we can ease some financial strain for Marie so that she can focus on getting better while she endures more operations and chemotherapy in the coming months. No donation is too small and is truly appreciated.

With heartfelt thanks for your compassion and support!

Kimberley