Life Saving Treatment for Laura Forrest
Donation protected
Rewind 1 year and 9 months ago when I was attending a Green Day concert. I felt weak, fatigued, and a pain in my stomach that persisted. I went to my doctor and was told it was probably my anemia coming back. Fast forward 3 months later...Surprise! You have a growth in your stomach and no it is not a baby. It is cancer. I went in for surgery to remove the mass and was told all my margins were clear and they got it all. Fast forward 1 month ago...I went in for 3 month follow up as i have been every 3 months since surgery and no symptoms. I was feeling great, working out and eating healthy. Doctor decides to CT scan me...Guess what? Cancer in the liver with large tumors and growing fast.
Telling my 3 young children, ages 15, 12, and 9, was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Mommy may not be around to watch the girls become teens and I will miss my son's high school graduation. Well at least that's how I felt upon hearing the news. I am a single mother and have a job with little benefits. I never wanted for more than my children and their happiness. However, I am now faced with the real possibility that their happiness and mine will be gone. There is a doctor who is willing to try to save me though surgery and treatment will be risky and may have complications. I am willing to risk it all in order to survive this and continue to be my children's mother. However, these treatments are going to take me away from my only source of income and will probably affect my health insurance benefits since I will not be working full-time. I live in a small town and medical treatments are at least an hour away from me.
I start chemotherapy next week and will be unable to work. I pray that my body responds well to the treatment and it helps shrinks these tumors so that I can have the surgery and hopefully be well. I pray to God that the chemo works and I will be a good candidate for surgery to resect my liver. This also will have significant implications on my ability to work and will have to stay home and recover slowly for at least 3-4 months. I will need to leave my children with my parents who have their own health problems as well while I am receiving treatment.
My close friends will take the kids on the weekends to keep some sense of normalcy in their lives and help them through this very difficult time for our family. I understand that this will be a very stressful period in all of our lives. I also know that stress can have a negative impact on my body's response to treatment and can make my prognosis worse. With your help, I hope I can decrease the stress of trying to keep our home and ensure my children do not fall into despair. I need to focus on my recovery and healing...help me give myself a chance.
I have always believed that if you are a good person, then good things will help you in your time of need. This is very difficult for me to even put out there since I am usually the giving person, but this time I need your help. Please consider donating anything you can to my campaign. I will need help with paying household bills, ensuring my children have everything they need for school, and helping to pay the significant medical bills I am incurring. I know I am blessed to have my children and close friends giving me support. I am extremely grateful for my doctor who has moved mountains for me in this last month to get me on the road to recovery. I thank God for her always. I will be forever grateful, as will my children, for any gift or donation you can add. I wish you all many blessings and good health. Help me beat Cancer and live! Prayers over all are much appreciated!
Telling my 3 young children, ages 15, 12, and 9, was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Mommy may not be around to watch the girls become teens and I will miss my son's high school graduation. Well at least that's how I felt upon hearing the news. I am a single mother and have a job with little benefits. I never wanted for more than my children and their happiness. However, I am now faced with the real possibility that their happiness and mine will be gone. There is a doctor who is willing to try to save me though surgery and treatment will be risky and may have complications. I am willing to risk it all in order to survive this and continue to be my children's mother. However, these treatments are going to take me away from my only source of income and will probably affect my health insurance benefits since I will not be working full-time. I live in a small town and medical treatments are at least an hour away from me.
I start chemotherapy next week and will be unable to work. I pray that my body responds well to the treatment and it helps shrinks these tumors so that I can have the surgery and hopefully be well. I pray to God that the chemo works and I will be a good candidate for surgery to resect my liver. This also will have significant implications on my ability to work and will have to stay home and recover slowly for at least 3-4 months. I will need to leave my children with my parents who have their own health problems as well while I am receiving treatment.
My close friends will take the kids on the weekends to keep some sense of normalcy in their lives and help them through this very difficult time for our family. I understand that this will be a very stressful period in all of our lives. I also know that stress can have a negative impact on my body's response to treatment and can make my prognosis worse. With your help, I hope I can decrease the stress of trying to keep our home and ensure my children do not fall into despair. I need to focus on my recovery and healing...help me give myself a chance.
I have always believed that if you are a good person, then good things will help you in your time of need. This is very difficult for me to even put out there since I am usually the giving person, but this time I need your help. Please consider donating anything you can to my campaign. I will need help with paying household bills, ensuring my children have everything they need for school, and helping to pay the significant medical bills I am incurring. I know I am blessed to have my children and close friends giving me support. I am extremely grateful for my doctor who has moved mountains for me in this last month to get me on the road to recovery. I thank God for her always. I will be forever grateful, as will my children, for any gift or donation you can add. I wish you all many blessings and good health. Help me beat Cancer and live! Prayers over all are much appreciated!
Organizer and beneficiary
Diane Hernandez
Organizer
West Palm Beach, FL
Laura Forrest
Beneficiary