Judy Clark - Medical Assistance
Donation protected
For those of you that are friends of Judy Clark, she just posted the latest on her very serious cancer diagnosis. Judy asked for my assistance with the GoFundMe account. She wrote to me this week and gave me more details on her condition and also gave her permission for me to post these details on the fund.
From Judy: I went in the hospital with horrible stomach pains (among other issues) in August and was diagnosed with cancer in the lining of my uterus. I was referred to an oncologist at Washington Hospital Center and went for a consultation with her the first week of September. Because of my situation (being bed ridden), I had to hire a private ambulance who could transport me via a stretcher. Insurance will not cover any of that cost. I had to pay $755 out of pocket for that. She said I will need to have surgery to remove my uterus, ovaries, fallopian tube, etc. (basically a hysterectomy). We won't know until surgery if it has spread what stage it is in, if I will require chemo and/or radiation, etc. But judging from symptoms chances are good that it has spread. Prior to surgery I will need to get clearance from a cardiologist stating that I am strong enough to survive surgery. And I also need to have a CT scan. The clearance from the cardiologist will most likely involve 3 or more visits (initial consult, EKG, stress test, visit to discuss results). Prior to even scheduling a CT scan they require that they have results from blood work in hand. I had a lady come out this past week to draw blood but I was so dehydrated that she was unable to get even 1 drop of blood. So I will have to either have someone come out again or go to a lab to have it drawn. Once I have all these tests and their results I need to go back out to talk to the oncologist about scheduling the surgery, and of course if all goes well I will need to get back and forth to Washington Hospital Center for follow up and possibly chemo and/or radiation. I have managed to get a rather nice wheel chair but since my legs are basically dead weight (I can’t transfer from a wheel chair to a seat in a vehicle), I must use a wheel chair accessible van. I have a very good friend who was able to find a place in Gaithersburg that rents the wheelchair accessible vans at a cost of $155 per day (plus gas of course). I'm figuring that I have at least 6 or more doctor visits BEFORE I will even be able to schedule surgery. Plus another visit to go to a lab for blood work or if I can find someone else to come out here to try to draw it, that would be another $95. I do have my initial cardiology appointment scheduled for 5 November and will have the money for the van rental for that day but will most likely NOT be able to afford more than one rental per month (on my budget).. It has already been 2 months since I was diagnosed and I feel like I have a time bomb ticking inside my body. I hate waiting to get the surgery as it just allows more time for it to spread but I simply cannot come up with the money.
And if that isn't bad enough, my aide who has been with me for 4 years will no longer be working for me after this coming week. She needs to get a job that she can get health insurance with. I paid her under the table so she was very reasonable. I've tried before to find other aides and it was almost impossible. Once I start the treatment for the cancer I really need an aide with experience so I'm thinking that will be at least another $10 per day than what I am paying now. That's about an additional $300 per month. As it is, I am already paying over $900 a month out of pocket for an aide and that will likely increase as my needs will be greater once I start the cancer treatment.
I simply am out of options and don't know what to do or where to turn. I have tried for several years to find work that I could do from home but am not able to come up with anything. Honestly, I am ready to just give up and throw in the towel. I NEVER would have thought that I would be in this situation.
Any advice/help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Please donate whatever you can....she really needs our help! Additionally because of being diabetic and all the medications she has been on for the last five years all of her lower teeth have broken off at the gum line and will need to be extracted (cut out). She has upper dentures but they no longer fit because she has lost about 140 lbs and her gums have shrunk. Needless to say, she is very limited in what she can eat now and the lower teeth/gums are starting to be very painful now.
Also, does anyone know of an aide they could recommend (one for an hour in the mornings for now and possibly a full time aid down the road), what about anyone with a wheel chair accessible van for rent (at a very reasonable cost) to drive Judy to appointments? Anyone know of someone that is certified to do blood draws?
If you can provide any type of help, assistance and advice, it would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to contact Judy directly.
Thank you everyone!!!
From Judy: I went in the hospital with horrible stomach pains (among other issues) in August and was diagnosed with cancer in the lining of my uterus. I was referred to an oncologist at Washington Hospital Center and went for a consultation with her the first week of September. Because of my situation (being bed ridden), I had to hire a private ambulance who could transport me via a stretcher. Insurance will not cover any of that cost. I had to pay $755 out of pocket for that. She said I will need to have surgery to remove my uterus, ovaries, fallopian tube, etc. (basically a hysterectomy). We won't know until surgery if it has spread what stage it is in, if I will require chemo and/or radiation, etc. But judging from symptoms chances are good that it has spread. Prior to surgery I will need to get clearance from a cardiologist stating that I am strong enough to survive surgery. And I also need to have a CT scan. The clearance from the cardiologist will most likely involve 3 or more visits (initial consult, EKG, stress test, visit to discuss results). Prior to even scheduling a CT scan they require that they have results from blood work in hand. I had a lady come out this past week to draw blood but I was so dehydrated that she was unable to get even 1 drop of blood. So I will have to either have someone come out again or go to a lab to have it drawn. Once I have all these tests and their results I need to go back out to talk to the oncologist about scheduling the surgery, and of course if all goes well I will need to get back and forth to Washington Hospital Center for follow up and possibly chemo and/or radiation. I have managed to get a rather nice wheel chair but since my legs are basically dead weight (I can’t transfer from a wheel chair to a seat in a vehicle), I must use a wheel chair accessible van. I have a very good friend who was able to find a place in Gaithersburg that rents the wheelchair accessible vans at a cost of $155 per day (plus gas of course). I'm figuring that I have at least 6 or more doctor visits BEFORE I will even be able to schedule surgery. Plus another visit to go to a lab for blood work or if I can find someone else to come out here to try to draw it, that would be another $95. I do have my initial cardiology appointment scheduled for 5 November and will have the money for the van rental for that day but will most likely NOT be able to afford more than one rental per month (on my budget).. It has already been 2 months since I was diagnosed and I feel like I have a time bomb ticking inside my body. I hate waiting to get the surgery as it just allows more time for it to spread but I simply cannot come up with the money.
And if that isn't bad enough, my aide who has been with me for 4 years will no longer be working for me after this coming week. She needs to get a job that she can get health insurance with. I paid her under the table so she was very reasonable. I've tried before to find other aides and it was almost impossible. Once I start the treatment for the cancer I really need an aide with experience so I'm thinking that will be at least another $10 per day than what I am paying now. That's about an additional $300 per month. As it is, I am already paying over $900 a month out of pocket for an aide and that will likely increase as my needs will be greater once I start the cancer treatment.
I simply am out of options and don't know what to do or where to turn. I have tried for several years to find work that I could do from home but am not able to come up with anything. Honestly, I am ready to just give up and throw in the towel. I NEVER would have thought that I would be in this situation.
Any advice/help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Please donate whatever you can....she really needs our help! Additionally because of being diabetic and all the medications she has been on for the last five years all of her lower teeth have broken off at the gum line and will need to be extracted (cut out). She has upper dentures but they no longer fit because she has lost about 140 lbs and her gums have shrunk. Needless to say, she is very limited in what she can eat now and the lower teeth/gums are starting to be very painful now.
Also, does anyone know of an aide they could recommend (one for an hour in the mornings for now and possibly a full time aid down the road), what about anyone with a wheel chair accessible van for rent (at a very reasonable cost) to drive Judy to appointments? Anyone know of someone that is certified to do blood draws?
If you can provide any type of help, assistance and advice, it would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to contact Judy directly.
Thank you everyone!!!
Organizer and beneficiary
Dee Dee Dewees Skipton
Organizer
Waldorf, MD
Judy Clark
Beneficiary