Help Tonia Focus on Healing, Not Bills

Hey all, it's Shannon and I am asking everyone to do whatever they can to help our girl Tonia. Tonia and I have been best friends for over 3 decades, through all the good and all the bad, she is always there for her friends. As I am sure you all know, she is that person that would give you her last dollar if you needed it and never ask for anything in return. She is one of the most loyal and caring friends you could ask for. She is also fiercely independent, hard working and one of the strongest women I know. What she doesn't do is let people know when she is going through hard times or ask for help, so I am here to ask for her. Her daughters and I decided we would create a GoFundMe to help her while she goes through treatment to hopefully eradicate the tumor growing on her brain. This is not the first time Tonia has had to deal with this, but this time surgery is not an option at this point. Tonia's brilliant daughter Athena has summarized what Tonia has and what her treatment plan is for now, as well as a brief history of her health in relation to this horrible disorder to hopefully give you all an basic understanding. We still don't know where the treatment plan could go or how long she will need to be in treatment, but Athena will be posting updates as she goes along. For now I am hoping we can get her enough money to get her through the next 6-8 months without the stress of medical and everyday life expenses. This is not something one can plan for and I want Tonia to be able to focus on getting better. The first step is radiation and I know first hand that it takes everything out of you. PLEASE, donate if you can, everything helps and also lets get the GFM all over social media! If you know Tonia, you know she would do it for you.

What is Acromegaly?

Acromegaly is a serious hormonal disorder caused by a pituitary tumor that produces too much growth hormone. If left untreated, it can lead to premature death. Some symptoms include the enlargement of body parts, thickened skin, deepening voice, headaches, poor vision, and joint pain. Acromegaly increases the risk of heart disease and can lead to arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, organ enlargement, type 2 diabetes, and colon polyps that can turn into colon cancer.

Treatment Plan

The primary treatment for acromegaly is surgery to remove the tumor. However, due to the placement of my mother’s current pituitary tumor, there is a high chance of puncturing an artery, so we have to move forward with alternative treatment; radiation therapy. My mother will be receiving radiation therapy five times a week for 4-6 weeks. If the tumor cells are NOT successfully destroyed, she will have to continue with radiation therapy for another set of 4-6 weeks.

Due to the intensity of radiation therapy, my mother may be experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, hair loss, difficulty swallowing, change in taste and smell, mouth sores, skin irritation, and gastrointestinal issues. This means, she will not be able to work and will only be able to be in the hospital or at home

Experience with 1st pituitary tumor

My mother received surgery for her first pituitary tumor in August 2014. But, it was said that she may have had that same tumor for 10 years. My mother wasn’t born with acromegaly but got it as an adult. However, some complications resulted in her having two cerebral leaks and three surgeries in total within two weeks. She struggled with mobility post-surgery and wasn’t given much of a chance to recover due to being a single mom and having to walk me to school every day (I was 9 years old). Despite us believing she was tumor-free for the past 10 years, her growth hormone levels began to increase quickly less than a year ago, and it was later confirmed in September 2024 that she had another pituitary tumor. My mother is currently experiencing horrible headaches, struggling with her vision, and hearing loss.