Kathleen DeRose's Colon Cancer Battle

My baby sister, Kathleen (or Koki, as our family endearingly calls her) was diagnosed with Stage 3 Colon Cancer a few weeks ago. It was a surprise to her and to the entire family as there has been no family history of it. Kathleen was persistent to find the answer to what was going on with her as she wasn't feeling quite right and luckily found a great GI doctor who performed a colonoscopy and was able to locate the cancer. Most doctors would not perform a colonoscopy because of her age. We got really lucky.

She currently has a wonderful team of doctors working on getting her cured, but we have a marathon in front of us. The process, from start to finish, will take at least a year. She will need support and love from us all during this time.

Kathleen has already completed her 5-day radiation treatment and just finished her first round of chemo. So far, the treatment has been pretty tough on her with debilitating nausea. One thing that can significantly lighten her load is assistance in donating to her medical fees, which are sizable. We are thankful that she has good insurance, but even so, the copays, her portion of the medical expenses, parking, etc., for all the doctor visits are racking up. She has 8 sessions of chemo, and she is hoping that getting a pad of $1,000 per session would be enormously helpful. No pressure to help, but she would be so grateful for any assistance. She is already overwhelmed with gratitude for how much everyone has been supporting her emotionally through her fight.