Help Us Bring Sandra Home!

Hi everyone! It’s Sandra’s friend Quisaira, and a group of people who love her very much, giving you a big life update about Sandra that has abruptly and severely altered her wellbeing and health. She has developed a life-threatening disease while traveling overseas and is very much in need of our financial help.

What started out as a vacation in Greece with her sister Julissa has turned into an overwhelming health odyssey. On Tuesday, August 29th, while in Crete, Greece, Sandra was unexpectedly diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Type B (ALL). Her current condition prohibits her from taking a 45-minute flight to Athens, let alone a 12-hour flight home to NYC.

Friends, this is not a drill!

If there is one thing Sandra has learned in this life, it’s that she can overcome anything because of the love from family and friends; they are one and the same to her. As such, she is allowing us to share her very personal health details so publicly. We need everyone to MOBILIZE NOW. She needs all of us.

How she got here: In the past, Sandra has experienced heavy menstrual cycles so severe that she has become very familiar with dealing with bouts of anemia. She’s had every possible check-up and analysis done with no real diagnosis and has been treating anemia on an on-going basis.

Upon arriving in Greece on August 25th for a childhood friend’s wedding, Sandra was already experiencing two weeks of a heavy flow. She didn’t pay much attention to the usual fatigue until the first tell-tale sign that something was very wrong - the sudden appearance of an anemia rash in the form of purple spots on her arms and legs.

Sandra phoned a good friend who is a Physician Assistant and was encouraged to get her blood count checked immediately. Sandra went to the nearest medical clinic to have blood drawn and the results were not good. In fact, they were staggering. The doctors couldn’t believe she was standing and had no other symptoms. Sandra was admitted into Venizelio Hospital in Heraklion (the biggest city in Crete) within hours. After an additional battery of tests over four days, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Type B- a blood cancer. To say we were all shocked would be an understatement as she was in no real pain and felt relatively well. Additionally, being so far away from home upon hearing this news has been overwhelming.

Here is a link for more information on Sandra’s diagnosis from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to get a better understanding: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

The goal right now is to stabilize her blood count so she can make the long journey back home. We are working daily with doctors in Crete, Athens, and at Weill Cornell Medicine in NYC to combat this disease and develop the best treatment plan given the circumstances.

Unfortunately, the probability of her leaving in the near future is low and she will most likely need to remain in Crete to start the initial phase of treatment (likely to be chemotherapy) which will last at least 4 weeks because she is still bleeding and her white blood cell and platelet counts are very low.

For now, her sister Julissa will stay and help care for her while a longer-term plan is developed.

Sandra’s Ask: A big challenge Sandra is facing is the financial burden this has created as medical services in Greece must be paid before procedures are done, including laboratory work which she needs on a daily basis. She is subject to the American healthcare system as a US citizen traveling abroad. It should come as little surprise that her health insurance has denied her request for them to pay for health costs directly, so it’s still unclear how much she is incurring in costs every day. The battlefront of dealing with the inadequate US healthcare system is another front they will need to tackle separately.

Your contribution will help support medical costs and other expenses associated with her fight to get through this ordeal and get home. As you can imagine, we want her back stateside getting US medical care in her own language and surrounded by family and friends, which is so essential to her recovery. For now, Julissa has not left her side; however, this also means additional expenses for Julissa to stay with her. No one ever has the foresight of how these situations will unfold. She has been given a tough diagnosis, but anyone who knows Sandra knows she is up for the fight. Unfortunately, it comes at a costly price, and this is one way you can help her and her situation. We anticipate that the costs for treatment, hospital and caregiver stay in Greece, and, if possible, medical transport will be at least $200,000.

Thank you for considering helping Sandra through this challenging time. With your help hopefully she can be back home soon.

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