Help my daughter, Rita, in her battle with CANCER

Hi, my name is Kathy Raymond and I have a beautiful, caring daughter, Rita Marie. Her life has recently been turned upside down due to a serious cancer diagnosis.

She had been doing great as of the time the cover picture was taken in April of this year.

*She had a job that she loved as a recovery coach. She herself is an addict and has been in recovery for over 10 years. As a recovering addict she vowed to pay it forward and become a part of the recovery community that saved her life. She was an advocate for that community from participation in their fund raisers to speaking in front of senators and congressmen to fight for funds for these organizations.

*She had her own car that she was so proud of.

*She was paying all her bills and even had a few credit cards

*She was with and still is with a man that she loves very much

Just weeks after she made the cross-country trip to see me, she went into the hospital with extreme stomach pains. She was rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital where she was subsequently diagnosed with stomach cancer. 90% of the next three months were spent in hospitals. She has now been told that the cancer has spread to her colon. She has not had chemo treatments yet as she had extenuating issues. She now has kidney issues ( she has a nephrotomy tube) and liver issues (she has a biliary drain) She has to carry those two bags with her, trying her best to be inconspicuous. Her sodium level bottoms out frequently causing multiple ICU stays. She has lost over 45 pounds in less than three months. The doctors intend to start her on an extreme regime of chemo immediately.

She feels that everything that she has fought through and accomplished in the last 10 years is now slipping away.

My daughter is a very proud and independent woman who does not want to rely on charity but in two months her funds in the bank will run out and her SSI will never be approved by then. It took all I could do to have her agree to this GoFundMe fundraiser. She is afraid of losing her car, her residence and not being able to purchase food or necessities. She is saying that she is determined to go back to work but I know in my heart that this will not be possible for many months ahead.

The reason for this fundraiser is to give my daughter the opportunity to fight like hell against this raging cancer with the help of people like you.

All of you have been touched in some way by the cancer battles, whether it be someone you love or simply someone you know.

Many of you have been diagnosed with cancer and have either beaten it or are still fighting the battle.

Many of you are recovering addicts who know the struggle of recovery and the role that people like my daughter played in saving your life.

Some of you are not in recovery yet but will need someone like my daughter to guide you on the way back.

My daughter is the most important thing in the world to me. I am trying to help her all that I can but my help will not be enough. After all that she has been through it does not seem fair that after she fought so hard to get her own life back that she would have all that she has accomplished ripped from her by this horrendous disease.

Rita is willing to fight as hard and as long as it takes against her disease but she will only be able to do that with your help. She has no disability insurance and no other source of income. Her fiance' helps as much as he can but that is also not enough.

The funds received in this fundraiser would be used solely by Rita to pay for:

Rent

Food

Car Payments

Car Insurance

Personal Necessities

Now that she knows what she is up against she is applying for SSI but that could take many months for approval. She needs your help to cover the gap.

Please help her. I don't want to lose her. She is special not only to me but to all of those that she has touched over the past years. By saving her life you will also be saving the lives of those that she would be bringing into recovery when she would go back to work. There is truly a ripple effect to life.