Help My Mom Focus on Beating Cancer
Donation protected
On the 13th of April my mom was rushed to the hospital with a headache so severe, she couldn't even walk. She experienced a lot of pressure in her nasal cavity and her vision was affected. She had called in sick for the first time in her life and had hoped that she would be discharged within the day with appropriate medication so she could return to work.
Unfortunately, my mom's symptoms never let up and a CT scan was performed to find out what was really ailing her. The doctors found a growth within the wall of her heart and within her nasal cavity. That explained the extreme pressure head aches, nose bleeds, and exhaustion she's been experiencing just walking home from work . I remember her calling me to come drive her the rest of the way home even though she was only 2 blocks away. 20 years ago my mom has fought and won the battle against stage 2 lymphoma so it was beginning to look a lot more serious judging by this statistic. The doctors examined her lower legs and found small bumps the size of marbles on her shins and calves. My mom chalked it off as bruises from constantly bumping her shin getting into bed. Since her headaches were so severe, a spinal tap had to be performed along with the biopsy ordered for the bumps on her legs.
On the 17th, her biopsy reports came back as a confirmation for the presence of lymphoma. This time, stage 4 and very aggressive. Despite the news, my mom was determined to keep her fight a secret from work, friends and family as she felt embarrassed if her employers knew just how sick she was. She was too proud. My sister and I made the executive decision to tell my mother's employers that she will not be returning to work any time soon due to the severity of her illness. Although she forbade us from telling her sisters, we went ahead and made the call to alert family members because they deserved to know. They flew in immediately and because of that, my mom received 2 more cheerleaders checking up on her every chance they get.
Since my mom's hospital admission, the doctors have attempted to give her the standard R-CHOP chemo therapy treatment, but my mom was not able to complete it because at the time she did not perform well with the symptoms. Since the visit of my aunties, she has received her second wind and determination to beat this cancer. She's found the courage to undergo an even more aggressive chemo treatment involving drugs that are so toxic to the body, that it is the equivelent of ingesting rat poison. It is my mom's only option left.
Since her immune system has been basically wiped ou, she has been put in isolation in a special quarantined unit where she is only allowed 2 guests at a time. The guests have to be showered and gloved up before entering her room. She can only drink bottled beverages or eat hot meals made to order. She brushes her teeth 4 times a day because of the uncomfortable side effects of the chemo treatment causing her mouth to feel pasty. She currently isn't able to walk for long distances without the support of a walker. Although she has a personal bathroom, during the night she has to use a commode. They are pretty expensive.
Part of my mom's battle is her constant bouts with vomitting and rapid body temperature change. Lymphoma can have you feeling extremely hot and sweaty, then change to extremely cold in the next minute. It makes it hard to hold enough nutrients in her body. The most expensive part of keeping my mom's strength up is ordering take out twice a day. My mom is not a huge fan of food outside of her traditional palette of Vietnamese cuisine so her hospital meals don't get eaten. She's fine with breakfast, but lunch and dinner is a bit of a challenge for her to keep down.
I've been trying my best to manage her current living expenses as well as new costs that have been added on since she's gotten sick. This sadly means that I have been spending more time working than actually seeing my mom. As proud as I am about taking care of my mom, it's time for me to reach out for help. I'm quickly learning that there is strength in accepting help from others. This past month, my friends, family and even strangers have been so supportive with unconditional love and kindness. For that, I am not asking for anything beyond anyone's means. I'm absolutely humbled by even the simplest message of love.
My mom lives a very modest lifestyle and I'm not here to ask for an arm and a leg. Just a little bit of help to cover the extra costs that have accumlated over this month so I can get a little bit of a head start before being able to cover her living costs for the next 6 months to follow.
Here's what this month is looking like for me:
$600 - Take out food - She can only have fresh foods that have not been previously stored as it's not in her health's interest to eat left over food that has been cooled or re-heated. ($10 per meal - twice a day)
$450 - Monthly home payments
$70 - Cellphone bill
$30 - Wireless home internet
$100 - Manitoba Hydro/electricity
$120 - Fuzzy socks that my mom sweats through everyday due to the random hot and cold spells that are a part of the long list of Lymphoma symptoms (They are $4 per pair)
$100 - Toques (They are $3.50 per toque)
$150 - Fuzzy blankets / Scarves (She needs to change fleece blankets every 3 days and they cost $15 each)
$90 - Cases of Ensure high protein meal replacement drinks (They are $9 per case of 6)
$100 - Zip up sweaters ($20 per sweater, she needs new ones since her old ones are getting sweat through faster than I can launder them)
$200 - New sheet sets to change over every 2 days to make sure my mom's living space is as germ-free as possible (Sheet sets cost about $20 at Wal-Mart.)
$100 - Myriad of different cleaning supplies to keep her living environment up to standard.
At some point, I will have to buy her a bed side commode for the times it gets too hard for my mom to walk to the bath room. A good one can cost almost $500.
As thankful as I am for ANY contrubution - small or large, I would happily take in material donations of any aforementioned items listed as well. I am extremely grateful to those who have reached out to help my family in anyway to get through this difficult time. Whether it was a few words of encouragement or a hot meal to give my mom, our hearts are extremely full and we will never take this time we have to spend with each other for granted. From my family to yours, thank you for your time and donation.
-K, S and Thao (My Mom)<3
Unfortunately, my mom's symptoms never let up and a CT scan was performed to find out what was really ailing her. The doctors found a growth within the wall of her heart and within her nasal cavity. That explained the extreme pressure head aches, nose bleeds, and exhaustion she's been experiencing just walking home from work . I remember her calling me to come drive her the rest of the way home even though she was only 2 blocks away. 20 years ago my mom has fought and won the battle against stage 2 lymphoma so it was beginning to look a lot more serious judging by this statistic. The doctors examined her lower legs and found small bumps the size of marbles on her shins and calves. My mom chalked it off as bruises from constantly bumping her shin getting into bed. Since her headaches were so severe, a spinal tap had to be performed along with the biopsy ordered for the bumps on her legs.
On the 17th, her biopsy reports came back as a confirmation for the presence of lymphoma. This time, stage 4 and very aggressive. Despite the news, my mom was determined to keep her fight a secret from work, friends and family as she felt embarrassed if her employers knew just how sick she was. She was too proud. My sister and I made the executive decision to tell my mother's employers that she will not be returning to work any time soon due to the severity of her illness. Although she forbade us from telling her sisters, we went ahead and made the call to alert family members because they deserved to know. They flew in immediately and because of that, my mom received 2 more cheerleaders checking up on her every chance they get.
Since my mom's hospital admission, the doctors have attempted to give her the standard R-CHOP chemo therapy treatment, but my mom was not able to complete it because at the time she did not perform well with the symptoms. Since the visit of my aunties, she has received her second wind and determination to beat this cancer. She's found the courage to undergo an even more aggressive chemo treatment involving drugs that are so toxic to the body, that it is the equivelent of ingesting rat poison. It is my mom's only option left.
Since her immune system has been basically wiped ou, she has been put in isolation in a special quarantined unit where she is only allowed 2 guests at a time. The guests have to be showered and gloved up before entering her room. She can only drink bottled beverages or eat hot meals made to order. She brushes her teeth 4 times a day because of the uncomfortable side effects of the chemo treatment causing her mouth to feel pasty. She currently isn't able to walk for long distances without the support of a walker. Although she has a personal bathroom, during the night she has to use a commode. They are pretty expensive.
Part of my mom's battle is her constant bouts with vomitting and rapid body temperature change. Lymphoma can have you feeling extremely hot and sweaty, then change to extremely cold in the next minute. It makes it hard to hold enough nutrients in her body. The most expensive part of keeping my mom's strength up is ordering take out twice a day. My mom is not a huge fan of food outside of her traditional palette of Vietnamese cuisine so her hospital meals don't get eaten. She's fine with breakfast, but lunch and dinner is a bit of a challenge for her to keep down.
I've been trying my best to manage her current living expenses as well as new costs that have been added on since she's gotten sick. This sadly means that I have been spending more time working than actually seeing my mom. As proud as I am about taking care of my mom, it's time for me to reach out for help. I'm quickly learning that there is strength in accepting help from others. This past month, my friends, family and even strangers have been so supportive with unconditional love and kindness. For that, I am not asking for anything beyond anyone's means. I'm absolutely humbled by even the simplest message of love.
My mom lives a very modest lifestyle and I'm not here to ask for an arm and a leg. Just a little bit of help to cover the extra costs that have accumlated over this month so I can get a little bit of a head start before being able to cover her living costs for the next 6 months to follow.
Here's what this month is looking like for me:
$600 - Take out food - She can only have fresh foods that have not been previously stored as it's not in her health's interest to eat left over food that has been cooled or re-heated. ($10 per meal - twice a day)
$450 - Monthly home payments
$70 - Cellphone bill
$30 - Wireless home internet
$100 - Manitoba Hydro/electricity
$120 - Fuzzy socks that my mom sweats through everyday due to the random hot and cold spells that are a part of the long list of Lymphoma symptoms (They are $4 per pair)
$100 - Toques (They are $3.50 per toque)
$150 - Fuzzy blankets / Scarves (She needs to change fleece blankets every 3 days and they cost $15 each)
$90 - Cases of Ensure high protein meal replacement drinks (They are $9 per case of 6)
$100 - Zip up sweaters ($20 per sweater, she needs new ones since her old ones are getting sweat through faster than I can launder them)
$200 - New sheet sets to change over every 2 days to make sure my mom's living space is as germ-free as possible (Sheet sets cost about $20 at Wal-Mart.)
$100 - Myriad of different cleaning supplies to keep her living environment up to standard.
At some point, I will have to buy her a bed side commode for the times it gets too hard for my mom to walk to the bath room. A good one can cost almost $500.
As thankful as I am for ANY contrubution - small or large, I would happily take in material donations of any aforementioned items listed as well. I am extremely grateful to those who have reached out to help my family in anyway to get through this difficult time. Whether it was a few words of encouragement or a hot meal to give my mom, our hearts are extremely full and we will never take this time we have to spend with each other for granted. From my family to yours, thank you for your time and donation.
-K, S and Thao (My Mom)<3
Organizer
Keo Necra
Organizer
Winnipeg, MB