Irene is Pregnant with Leukemia Family Needs Help

My name is Lisa Mays. My friend and housekeeper, Irene (29), was so excited when she found out she was pregnant 2 months ago. She didn’t think she could get pregnant again, even after having 2 children, Miriam (12) and Isaac (8). So when she found out she was indeed pregnant again, she and her husband were delighted. Then the fatigue started happening, along with worsening headaches and nosebleeds. She assumed this was all due to her pregnancy, especially the fatigue.

Then she went to the local emergency room in Sylva, NC two weeks ago with an excruciating headache, a high fever, and a nosebleed that wouldn’t stop. That hospital did blood tests, learned that the problem could be worse than pregnancy issues and sent her to Mission Hospital in Asheville. They did more tests and sadly determined it was leukemia, but because of the early pregnancy, they sent her to a more qualified cancer hospital in Winston-Salem, where she is now, 4 hours away from her family. She has been diagnosed with AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia), a rarer and more aggressive form of leukemia. She is receiving chemo treatments daily and the fetus is being closely monitored throughout the entire process.

Irene is a Mexican-American immigrant who came to the US 15 years ago with her parents, in search of a better life for herself. She has never asked for welfare or any kind of free handout. She came, started working at a very young age, and hasn’t stopped since. She and her husband, Michael, are kind, considerate and helpful, and are two of the hardest working people I’ve ever met. They live simply, on a poverty level, yet their house (trailer) is always clean and tidy. Irene and Michael are the type of immigrants our country should be proud to have here….never taking from the system but always making their own way, through hard work and perseverance.

Since being diagnosed, she has endured 2 bone marrow biopsies, with no pain killer, because she is determined to protect her unborn baby. Any procedure she has, or will need to undergo, she will do in as much pain as necessary to protect this baby. Her doctors have encouraged her to terminate the pregnancy in order to ensure a better survival rate for her. She steadfastly refused, saying “my baby is my strength.”

Since contracting this disease, I’ve recognized her strength and fortitude in ways I could never imagine. She is the one who instills positive hopes and thoughts in her family and friends, telling them “I will make it through this, I will fight for myself and my baby. I will make sure I am around to raise my children.” When we all are sad and worried, she tells us to stop worrying and smile, that she is fine, that she will survive. I believe her!!! How can she not survive with an attitude like that?

Michael, her husband, is a mason who works 6 and sometimes, 7 days a week. He has not left her side since she went to the hospital in Sylva. He sleeps on an uncomfortable chair in her hospital room every night and is there with her all day, never complaining. He is as much of an inspiration as she is. He loves his wife very much!!! However, because he is with her 24/7, he is not able to work. With both of their incomes depleted during this process, there is no money coming in to cover their normal monthly expenses or the possible crippling medical bills that are to come. She has no health insurance since they cant afford it. And the hospital wants to keep her in-patient throughout the term of her pregnancy (6 more months) which will have a disastrous effect on their ability to pay their monthly bills and to protect their children.

I am asking for help for Irene and Michael and their children, to be able to pay their rent, electricity, other minor living expenses, and to put food on the table for their 2 children, who are taking care of themselves, at home in Cullowhee, with supervision from friends and family. I was surprised to find out that Miriam, the 12 year old, is now the cook for herself and her little brother and is doing it stoically, in an effort to help in whatever way she can. I cannot imagine anything worse than their children being evicted from their home while she is battling cancer in the hospital, pregnant. She and her husband would be so humbly grateful to not have to worry about their children having enough food to eat or a roof over their heads during this lengthy and horrific process. Any excess funds will be set aside to pay down the medical bills that are likely to come (according to a hospital administrator).

In closing, normally I would never ask anyone for money. And I have been helping them financially with expenses and food. But this situation is more than I can handle alone, especially considering that the process will be longer due to her pregnancy. And honestly, I wouldn’t undertake this mission to help her if she was not worth it. She is!! She is one of the purest, strongest souls on the planet and I am so fortunate to have her in my life. That’s why I am doing this. Any help from others would be so incredible and would mean so very much to this girl and her family. Thank you so much for even the smallest donation!!!