Support Candida, Paige & Family

Hello Community,

This GoFundMe is to support Candida and Paige and their family as Paige battles stage IV colon cancer.

Below is brief history to take us into this present moment and our ask for community care.

After a decade plus of fighting Crohn’s and other autoimmune diseases, Paige was diagnosed with colon cancer in December of 2022.

In January of 2023, Paige’s colon was removed and they had an illeostomy bag placed. They started chemo in April in order to address any cancer that may have lingered in their body.

Paige finished chemo on Oct 4th, 2023–just in time to fly to Montana to witness their sister Shea’s wedding. They had a routine PET scan on Oct 16th to double check treatment had been successful.

Unfortunately, treatment failed and new areas of cancer were found in their pelvis. After many tests and biopsies, surgery was the recommended treatment. Their surgery was scheduled for December 14th, and the doctors thought they would be able to simply remove the affected lymph nodes.

Upon opening up Paige’s abdomen, the surgeon found the cancer had moved into their abdominal wall. They found tumors that had not appeared on earlier scans, and in order to prevent the cancer from spreading further, were not able to complete the surgery.

The new cancer had moved into Paige’s abdominal wall and traveled as far up as their neck. The new cancer is incredibly aggressive and fast. This changed Paige’s diagnosis from stage III to stage IV colon cancer, meaning the cancer has spread to other sites and is no longer curable. Any care moving forward is to keep Paige comfortable, to slow the growth of the cancer, and to give Paige and Candida as much time together as possible.

Candida and Paige had big plans for their future together, and had spent much of the last year building a family together—in spite of the circumstance. Candida’s children have formed a beautiful bond with Paige- and consider them a parental figure. (Their running joke is parental in training).

Paige has been professionally sick and not able to work for sometime, and Candida has spent a considerable amount of time care taking for Paige, especially as their health started more rapidly declining in October. Contributing to this GoFundMe will allow Paige and Candida to recoup the financial toll fighting cancer has already taken, as well as to help them both keep going and allow Candida to continue to provide care and spend quality time with Paige.

The funds we are raising will go towards medical costs, monthly bills & mortgage, newly resuming student loan payments, as well support for Candida’s children.

Please donate and share this GoFundMe to support Paige and Candida in their fight against Paige’s cancer and making the most of the time they have left. Any donation helps.