Support Cassie's Battle Against Cervical Cancer

I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Cassie. Growing up, she was the kid who would want to adopt every shelter animal, could never hurt a fly, and would always volunteer her own time to someone in need. Cassie is very involved in her local church and has always been one to never hesitate to lend a helping hand. She and her family live in Missouri, where she homeschools and raises her two kids full-time, in addition to raising chickens, a cat, and two sweet dogs. Amoriah is 15, and Dawson is 6. Her husband, Robert, the tallest man I know, has a kindness that is rivaled only by Cassie, so they're quite the match.

Just before Christmas, 2024, Cassie received the news that she was diagnosed with cancer of the cervix. Unfortunately, it is a rare and difficult-to-treat type of cancer, and even though symptoms only recently started surfacing, it is in stage 3. The specific diagnosis is Small-cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Cervix. This is an aggressive cancer requiring intensive treatment.

Unfortunately, Cassie does not have health insurance and although she has recently qualified for Medicaid, it may only cover expenses of a fraction of her treatments. The combination of limited effective treatments for this type of cancer and the lack of insurance means she will need to seek out specialists, second opinions, and alternative or experimental treatments in addition to the standard treatments that have a relatively low success rate. The baseline recommended treatment of chemo, radiation, and possible surgeries only have a 30% 3-year survival rate.

Due to the poor prognosis for the routine treatments Cassie plans on seeking out second opinions from specialists, applying for clinical trials, and undergoing treatment from emerging medicines and whatever else she can.

Here are some examples of the tests and treatments she may need:

- Imaging throughout the treatment and recovery process (PET scans, MRIs, biopsies, etc.)

- Chemotherapy for potentially several cycles

- Radiation therapy

- Surgery to remove affected areas

- Specialist consultations

- Clinical trials and/or alternative treatments

One alternative treatment facility has quoted her $10,000-15,000 and is not covered through medicaid. The specialists she may consult with range from $1,000-$2,000 for the initial consultation and likely tens of thousands of dollars for the early stages of the treatment.

Although she is early in her journey of battling cancer, the costs incurred are already significant, and it will be a long and difficult road for her entire family. I'm hopeful that with great doctors, family, friends, and God, Cassie will be able to beat this and look back on it years from now.

Estimates of Expenses Not Covered:

$100 - $200 per visit - Weekly vitamin and mineral treatments as a supplement to chemo and radiation

$1,000 - $3,000 - Specialist or Research Consultations. These consultations may be important stepping stones to qualify for potentially life-saving clinical trials that would normally cost $100,000+ yearly.

$3,000 - $5,000 - Periodic imaging such as PET scans. Medicaid may limit the number they will cover per year and follow-ups may be necessary to guide treatment effectiveness and progress

$10,000+ Private clinics and emerging treatments

How donations are being used currently:

Cassie is just beginning the first stages of her treatment, which will consist of chemo and radiation therapy. She's undergoing vitamin and mineral treatments to prepare her body for the coming storm. The donations will be used to pay for the cost of these treatments she has already had to cover and many of the coming treatments that are just around the corner.

What happens next?

I will be posting periodic updates about how Cassie is doing and what learnings have been accomplished that may decide which direction of treatments she pursues.

If you made it this far

Thank you so much for reading this!

Although Cassie is just beginning this battle, even when the battle is won, the war is not over. This diagnosis will require frequent follow-ups to ensure that it has not returned even long after being declared cancer-free. Some of the treatments, such as ensuring her bloodwork, vitamins, and minerals are in a healthy place during and after treatments, are weekly and continual expenses.

Alternative Donation Options

Not all support is monetary! Even if you are unable to donate, you can still make a huge impact by sharing this.

If you are interested in donating, GoFundMe also offers the option for monthly donations. Here, you can contribute a smaller amount over a longer period of time. For those of you who want to follow Cassie's progress over a longer period of time and support her through this battle, consider this option.

Thank you again for reading