Helping Pam with GI Medical Bills

Hi everyone! I’m asking that you consider donating to this page to help Pam and Drew Phelps with the hospital bills and travel costs that they are about to endure with their anticipated trip to Cleveland Clinic in Ohio for another bowel surgery.

The last surgery that she had kept her in the hospital for about a month, so the ultimate goal is to raise money to offset their hospital bills, cost of living, and to help with travel costs for her family to be out there with her.

For those of you that don’t know Pam’s story, she has been struggling with health issues for the last 20+ years. What started as cervical cancer in 2001, led to a more serious cancer recurrence in 2009. After chemotherapy and radiation in her lower abdomen, Pam’s bowels and small intestine were left with a lot of damage. While we are thankful she is cancer free, she faces very serious gastrointestinal issues as a cost for her survival.

A healthy small intestine will work to push food through the digestive tract, where Pam’s has so much damage that her intestinal walls are weak and collapse easily, making her extremely susceptible to intestinal blockages. There is no consistency in this - no specific foods that can be avoided, no specifics on anything truly.

She was hospitalized in 2012/2013 with an intestinal blockage which led to her first bowel resection surgery. While this surgery helped initially, she is unfortunately back at square one. She has lost a significant amount of weight this year from a blockage that has developed and needs to be removed. She is 87 pounds and continues to lose weight and nourishment. Surgeons in the central NY area have expressed the complicated nature of this surgery which has led to her traveling to Cleveland, Ohio as her best option for a successful surgery. This hospital has more resources and tools specific to her condition. They write most of the journals that these smaller hospitals use to study the more difficult cases, and our hope is that we can get her there as soon as possible. Every single day counts at this point.

On Thursday July 20th, Pam made the trip to meet with a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and we have been very impressed with the extensive amount of testing and precise protocols that they have in place. We are still waiting for testing to be completed and for an established game plan, but we do know that surgery will ultimately be required regardless.

Even during her worst episodes, Pam still remains optimistic and grateful. She is very much ready to have surgery and to be able to move on from this phase of her life; to be able enjoy herself & her family again.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read just a small part of her story, and for thinking of Pam’s family! Pam is strong, resilient, and will get through this like she always does!