Support Donna (Balletto) Rinaldi's Fight Against Cancer

Hi everyone, my name is Devon Rinaldi! I’m setting up a GoFundMe to help raise medical and living expenses for my mom, Donna (Balletto) Rinaldi while she is facing critical health issues.

Back in December, she fell and thought she had a herniated disk. But over the past few months, it worsened to the point where she couldn’t even walk. On Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, EMS transported her via ambulance to Wayne Memorial Hospital, where she received a CAT scan. Test results found that she needed reconstructive back surgery due to a pinched nerve on the spinal cord. In addition, the test revealed lesions on her spine and possible breast cancer.

The next day, she was transported to CMC Geisinger for an MRI to further test the lesions on her spine and their source. As a result, doctors diagnosed her with Stage 4 Breast Cancer that spread to her spine. She met with a Neurology Specialist, who scheduled her surgery for the next day in their Geisinger Wyoming Valley facility.

She was then transported that next day, May 28, to Geisinger Wyoming Valley, where surgeons performed reconstructed back surgery. The intense surgery lasted over eight hours. They realigned her spine by adding nuts and bolts to cement it back together. The cancer in her spine softened her vertebrae, which made putting it back together more challenging. The severely pinched nerve area had to be cleared so her spinal cord could hopefully begin functioning again. During the surgery, doctors removed lesions on her spine and sent them to pathology for further testing.

After surgery, she was moved to oncology for recovery in The Henry Cancer Center located on the hospital’s campus. Around-the-clock doctors, nurses, aides monitored her vitals, and she completed light therapy.

The neurologist was uncertain if she would regain any movement and feelings in her lower body after the surgery. The potential for her to lose even more concerned the neurologist. So far, the results have been positive, not losing all mobility. She still has only minimal use of her legs as prior to the surgery, and tingling numb sensations remain. She cannot walk or stand up on her own, but she can perform minimal exercises while laying down. With therapy, some of her mobility may be improved.

She has been placed in a full back and neck brace for the next two to three months.

Before leaving Geisinger Wyoming Valley oncology in The Henry Cancer Center on June 6, the pathology results confirmed the spinal cancer is Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer chemotherapy treatment will be delayed because a heart sonogram and EKG test she had on her departure date found her heart only to be pumping at 30% capacity, which isn’t strong enough to withstand chemo. Doctors will monitor her and use immune therapies and hormone stabilizers to prevent additional growth and spread of the cancer.

Once her spine heals, she will undergo ten weeks of spinal radiation treatments to remove any cancerous cells left behind.

Now, she begins the process of relearning how to walk at Allied Health’s Rehabilitation Hospital in Scranton after an ambulance transported her on June 6 from Wyoming Valley. Her tasks over the next few weeks will consist of physical and occupational therapy. Therapy results will determine her ability to come home, or if she needs further rehabilitation at the Skilled Nursing unit.

Her health insurance will only cover so much. Co-Pays, deductibles, medications, Skilled Nursing Home Care, and special transport to and from her treatments are all out-of-pocket expenses crucial to financially support her recovery. If my mom remains for an extended time period in a Skilled Nursing Facility past insurance coverage, your donations will be directed to support this long term care.

Additionally, she will need help keeping up with her health insurance premium payments, and some of her living expenses including utilities, taxes and home insurance, etc., during her recovery period so that she has a home to return to after the multi-layered health battle she’s facing.

Her journey to recovery will be long, and I want to do whatever it takes to get my mom back on her feet. Any donation, thoughts, prayers, and positive vibes are welcomed and appreciated during this time.

Thank you all so much!