Pam's Breast Cancer Fund
Donation protected
Wow-I'm so far out of my comfort zone here, so please bear with me.
I consider myself a fairly strong person, but after going through several years of struggling-with the loss of Ray's job in Connecticut, moving our family back to Georgia in hopes of finding employment, watching Ray suffer through a heart attack and three subsequent surgeries, I have to say that I was thrown for a loop when I heard the words, "You are positive for breast cancer." I mean....C'mon, things were finally looking up for us. Ray was working again, Alex was doing well in college and Conor was a sophomore in high school. Yes, Ray had sold band equipment, and we had gone through any and all savings and retirement money to survive, but we felt very blessed to have our family together and Ray healthy again. And now, seriously-BREAST CANCER??!
On October 3, 2016, I received the official diagnosis: Invasive Ductal Carcinoma-a pretty aggressive form of cancer. Grade 3, Stage 111C, Estrogen-Positive.
Once my Oncologist explained my planned treatment protocol, I prepared myself mentally for the 16 rounds of chemo, a modified radical mastectomy (complete removal of the right breast as well as 11 lymph nodes), and 33 radiation treatments. What I was NOT prepared for were the financial difficulties that would arise along the way.
With a lot of love and help from my family (especially Ray who did everything from feeding me-to changing bandages and drainage tubes) I made it through chemo, surgery, and radiation, but I am still in need of additional medical care. I need CT scans and tests along with treatments for some cancer-related issues. I also am still in need of reconstruction surgery. And NOW, we are without insurance. YES, our insurance was recently canceled! I'll spare you the details because many of you are probably already aware of all the ways our healthcare system fails so many of us who have serious and expensive treatment needs.
Our family has been affected by my cancer in so many ways. In addition to the worries about me and my health, the kids have been affected so much financially. With all of the medical costs involved-it's difficult to even pay our monthly bills, much less have anything left over to help Alex with money for college, or to take Conor to visit colleges that he is interested in attending. I could go on-but I'm sure you get the idea.
Some of our friends have suggested several times over the past few months that I create a GoFundMe account and I dismissed that as just being humorous-even joking about possible names for the campaign-"Bucks for Boobs" or perhaps "Tips for TaTa's"........?????, but the more times I heard, "Sorry, you will need to pay now in order to have these tests done," and the more depressed I became about our situation, the more the GoFundMe idea started to not just be a funny idea.
It took quite awhile for Ray and me to swallow our pride and ask for help. Those of you who know me, know my asking for help is extremely hard. But I have a dear friend who reminded me that Ray and I have spent a lot of our lives giving to others-from friends or neighbors in need to camps for sick children-and while we much prefer to be on the giving end, I guess we must now learn to be on the receiving end.
Please know that any amount you can give will help and will be such a blessing to our family. I have fought hard to get to this point in kicking cancer's butt, and I would like to make sure I can continue with the treatments needed, even if it means turning to my friends for help. Although my prognosis is good and I can now consider myself to be a "Survivor"-due to the size of the masses and the number of cancerous lymph nodes that were removed, there is a risk for recurrence of this disease, and I will need to be monitored closely for some time.
All funds received from this campaign will be used to help pay my medical expenses for my cancer treatments and to alleviate some of the financial stresses on our family.
Your support and love mean so much to my family and me and even if you cannot help monetarily, I want you to know how much your continued prayers mean to us.
With love and appreciation-
Pam, Ray and the kids.
I consider myself a fairly strong person, but after going through several years of struggling-with the loss of Ray's job in Connecticut, moving our family back to Georgia in hopes of finding employment, watching Ray suffer through a heart attack and three subsequent surgeries, I have to say that I was thrown for a loop when I heard the words, "You are positive for breast cancer." I mean....C'mon, things were finally looking up for us. Ray was working again, Alex was doing well in college and Conor was a sophomore in high school. Yes, Ray had sold band equipment, and we had gone through any and all savings and retirement money to survive, but we felt very blessed to have our family together and Ray healthy again. And now, seriously-BREAST CANCER??!
On October 3, 2016, I received the official diagnosis: Invasive Ductal Carcinoma-a pretty aggressive form of cancer. Grade 3, Stage 111C, Estrogen-Positive.
Once my Oncologist explained my planned treatment protocol, I prepared myself mentally for the 16 rounds of chemo, a modified radical mastectomy (complete removal of the right breast as well as 11 lymph nodes), and 33 radiation treatments. What I was NOT prepared for were the financial difficulties that would arise along the way.
With a lot of love and help from my family (especially Ray who did everything from feeding me-to changing bandages and drainage tubes) I made it through chemo, surgery, and radiation, but I am still in need of additional medical care. I need CT scans and tests along with treatments for some cancer-related issues. I also am still in need of reconstruction surgery. And NOW, we are without insurance. YES, our insurance was recently canceled! I'll spare you the details because many of you are probably already aware of all the ways our healthcare system fails so many of us who have serious and expensive treatment needs.
Our family has been affected by my cancer in so many ways. In addition to the worries about me and my health, the kids have been affected so much financially. With all of the medical costs involved-it's difficult to even pay our monthly bills, much less have anything left over to help Alex with money for college, or to take Conor to visit colleges that he is interested in attending. I could go on-but I'm sure you get the idea.
Some of our friends have suggested several times over the past few months that I create a GoFundMe account and I dismissed that as just being humorous-even joking about possible names for the campaign-"Bucks for Boobs" or perhaps "Tips for TaTa's"........?????, but the more times I heard, "Sorry, you will need to pay now in order to have these tests done," and the more depressed I became about our situation, the more the GoFundMe idea started to not just be a funny idea.
It took quite awhile for Ray and me to swallow our pride and ask for help. Those of you who know me, know my asking for help is extremely hard. But I have a dear friend who reminded me that Ray and I have spent a lot of our lives giving to others-from friends or neighbors in need to camps for sick children-and while we much prefer to be on the giving end, I guess we must now learn to be on the receiving end.
Please know that any amount you can give will help and will be such a blessing to our family. I have fought hard to get to this point in kicking cancer's butt, and I would like to make sure I can continue with the treatments needed, even if it means turning to my friends for help. Although my prognosis is good and I can now consider myself to be a "Survivor"-due to the size of the masses and the number of cancerous lymph nodes that were removed, there is a risk for recurrence of this disease, and I will need to be monitored closely for some time.
All funds received from this campaign will be used to help pay my medical expenses for my cancer treatments and to alleviate some of the financial stresses on our family.
Your support and love mean so much to my family and me and even if you cannot help monetarily, I want you to know how much your continued prayers mean to us.
With love and appreciation-
Pam, Ray and the kids.
Organizer
Pamela McCurry Robbins
Organizer
Grayson, GA