Help Pam FIGHT CANCER her own way
Donation protected
Pam has spent her whole life helping others, but now she needs our help even if she it not comfortable asking for it. This is her story, and as her best friend, I am privileged to share it with you.
Pam and I met at the University of Vermont in the mid-1980s. Even back then, Pam had a heart of gold, always helping her friends, working towards a career in the natural resources field, and doing volunteer work with her sorority Alpha Delta Pi (A∆∏).
In her 30s, Pam started volunteering with Guiding Eyes, training dogs to help sight-impaired people live with dignity and independence. She did this for years, in addition to her full-time job and raising a family. Even today, she proudly displays photos of the dogs and their owners in her home since they each are like family to her. Through her work, she has enabled so many people to live full, independent lives.
Currently, Pam works at the University of Connecticut Health Center where her work as a Research Compliance Monitor supports advancing research to help fight cancer and other serious diseases while ensuring protections for the patients who participate in the research. Her husband Ryan works in construction as a Carpenter Superintendent, and they have a beautiful 11-year old daughter Katherine who loves to dance (Ballet and Jazz), read, and take care of their chickens. She resembles her mom with her dark mane of thick hair, wide smile, and brown eyes. They also share their home with two retired Guiding Eyes dogs, and two cats.
In the spring of 2013, Pam started having severe pain in her abdomen and extreme GI issues, but she didn’t worry about it too much at first. But it got worse. In November of 2013, after six months of intensive testing without any diagnosis and a two-week stay in the hospital, Pam underwent exploratory surgery. This resulted in the removal of a large portion of her large and small intestines, and her appendix, causing permanent issues with her digestive system.
Pam and her family’s worst fears were realized when she was diagnosed with small intestinal cancer. Her daughter Katherine was only 7 years old and she and her husband had to face the possibility that their daughter might grow up with no mother.
At first, Pam followed the standard treatments for cancer that was recommended by the doctors—surgery followed by chemotherapy. She was told it was her only chance at survival, so she trusted the doctors and agreed to that course of action. After the second round of chemotherapy, she had a near death allergic reaction, and for the subsequent eight rounds of chemotherapy that she endured, she had to be given many anti-allergy medicines in order to be able to tolerate the chemotherapy. After ten rounds of chemo, Pam had had enough. She started an aggressive regime of supplements to bring her body back to good health and started working with a Naturopath to pursue alternative treatments to fighting cancer, which was now in remission.
Unfortunately, two years later during a routine CAT scan, two nodules were discovered in her lungs. Pam had a lung biopsy that collapsed her lung and sent her back into the hospital for another week’s stay. The results of these tests were inconclusive.
In the spring of 2017, the original nodules had doubled in size and there were three more. It took six months to confirm the diagnosis: the nodules were metastatic small intestinal cancer. A devastating diagnosis of Stage 4 cancer.
But Pam is a fighter, and she decided that given her diagnosis, and her past failings with traditional medicine, she needed to pursue a different path.
Pam and her husband took a month off from work and went to a clinic outside the United States where she could receive natural medicines and treatments not approved in the U.S. It was a hard decision since they had to leave their 11-year old daughter behind with family members and friends for three weeks, but it was the path that Pam decided was right for her.
The trip, including the stay at the clinic, cost $44,000. Pam must return quarterly for checkups and to obtain more medicine at a cost of $15,000 per trip. In addition, most of the tests and treatments used by her Naturopath, and the visits themselves, are not covered by her insurance plan. Pam is spending hundreds of dollars a week on supplements alone. They have drained their bank account just trying to keep Pam healthy and alive. Costs for supplements and her medicine keep adding up. Since health insurance only covers traditional therapies and treatments, almost all her expenses are out of pocket.
Pam wants to see her 11-year old daughter grow up, to dance at her wedding, and to hold her grandchildren. She wants to spend the remainder of her life with Ryan, to enjoy the many years they should have together. But none of this will be possible if the cancer continues to spread through her body. Since starting to see a Naturopath and using alternative treatments, Pam has been feeling stronger and more positive about her prognosis. But she is running out of money to continue her treatments, pay for her medication, and continue her supplements regiment.
Asking for donations is not something they are comfortable with, but they understand that every day that Pam is healthy, able to work, and spend time with her family is a gift that should not be taken lightly. If asking for donations helps Pam afford her medication and treatments, then they are willing to do this GoFundMe campaign. Especially if it means her daughter gets more time with her mom, more time to make lasting memories, and more time to grow up just a little bit more before facing a potentially devastating event in her life.
Would love any help you can give, even just a few dollars. Please share through social media.
Love and gratitude,
Pam, Ryan, Katherine, and Alma
Pam and I met at the University of Vermont in the mid-1980s. Even back then, Pam had a heart of gold, always helping her friends, working towards a career in the natural resources field, and doing volunteer work with her sorority Alpha Delta Pi (A∆∏).
In her 30s, Pam started volunteering with Guiding Eyes, training dogs to help sight-impaired people live with dignity and independence. She did this for years, in addition to her full-time job and raising a family. Even today, she proudly displays photos of the dogs and their owners in her home since they each are like family to her. Through her work, she has enabled so many people to live full, independent lives.
Currently, Pam works at the University of Connecticut Health Center where her work as a Research Compliance Monitor supports advancing research to help fight cancer and other serious diseases while ensuring protections for the patients who participate in the research. Her husband Ryan works in construction as a Carpenter Superintendent, and they have a beautiful 11-year old daughter Katherine who loves to dance (Ballet and Jazz), read, and take care of their chickens. She resembles her mom with her dark mane of thick hair, wide smile, and brown eyes. They also share their home with two retired Guiding Eyes dogs, and two cats.
In the spring of 2013, Pam started having severe pain in her abdomen and extreme GI issues, but she didn’t worry about it too much at first. But it got worse. In November of 2013, after six months of intensive testing without any diagnosis and a two-week stay in the hospital, Pam underwent exploratory surgery. This resulted in the removal of a large portion of her large and small intestines, and her appendix, causing permanent issues with her digestive system.
Pam and her family’s worst fears were realized when she was diagnosed with small intestinal cancer. Her daughter Katherine was only 7 years old and she and her husband had to face the possibility that their daughter might grow up with no mother.
At first, Pam followed the standard treatments for cancer that was recommended by the doctors—surgery followed by chemotherapy. She was told it was her only chance at survival, so she trusted the doctors and agreed to that course of action. After the second round of chemotherapy, she had a near death allergic reaction, and for the subsequent eight rounds of chemotherapy that she endured, she had to be given many anti-allergy medicines in order to be able to tolerate the chemotherapy. After ten rounds of chemo, Pam had had enough. She started an aggressive regime of supplements to bring her body back to good health and started working with a Naturopath to pursue alternative treatments to fighting cancer, which was now in remission.
Unfortunately, two years later during a routine CAT scan, two nodules were discovered in her lungs. Pam had a lung biopsy that collapsed her lung and sent her back into the hospital for another week’s stay. The results of these tests were inconclusive.
In the spring of 2017, the original nodules had doubled in size and there were three more. It took six months to confirm the diagnosis: the nodules were metastatic small intestinal cancer. A devastating diagnosis of Stage 4 cancer.
But Pam is a fighter, and she decided that given her diagnosis, and her past failings with traditional medicine, she needed to pursue a different path.
Pam and her husband took a month off from work and went to a clinic outside the United States where she could receive natural medicines and treatments not approved in the U.S. It was a hard decision since they had to leave their 11-year old daughter behind with family members and friends for three weeks, but it was the path that Pam decided was right for her.
The trip, including the stay at the clinic, cost $44,000. Pam must return quarterly for checkups and to obtain more medicine at a cost of $15,000 per trip. In addition, most of the tests and treatments used by her Naturopath, and the visits themselves, are not covered by her insurance plan. Pam is spending hundreds of dollars a week on supplements alone. They have drained their bank account just trying to keep Pam healthy and alive. Costs for supplements and her medicine keep adding up. Since health insurance only covers traditional therapies and treatments, almost all her expenses are out of pocket.
Pam wants to see her 11-year old daughter grow up, to dance at her wedding, and to hold her grandchildren. She wants to spend the remainder of her life with Ryan, to enjoy the many years they should have together. But none of this will be possible if the cancer continues to spread through her body. Since starting to see a Naturopath and using alternative treatments, Pam has been feeling stronger and more positive about her prognosis. But she is running out of money to continue her treatments, pay for her medication, and continue her supplements regiment.
Asking for donations is not something they are comfortable with, but they understand that every day that Pam is healthy, able to work, and spend time with her family is a gift that should not be taken lightly. If asking for donations helps Pam afford her medication and treatments, then they are willing to do this GoFundMe campaign. Especially if it means her daughter gets more time with her mom, more time to make lasting memories, and more time to grow up just a little bit more before facing a potentially devastating event in her life.
Would love any help you can give, even just a few dollars. Please share through social media.
Love and gratitude,
Pam, Ryan, Katherine, and Alma
Organizer and beneficiary
Alma Ripps
Organizer
Alexandria, VA
Pamela Colwell
Beneficiary