Support Hopi Educator's Cancer Battle--CLOSING SOON!

UPDATE!!- DONATIONS NO LONGER NEEDED:

On July 31, 2024. LaVonne was able to withdraw funding to pay for one copay fee to get on her medication immediately. Today, August 1, 2024 she received word that after this month she will no longer need to pay for her medication as things have been figured out by healthcare providers. We will leave this fundraiser open until LaVonne is able to personally thank everyone that donated personally. We will close it once she is done. We appreciate your support. LaVonne still has a battle ahead of her but with the necessary "weapons" becoming available once again. We are confident she will give this cancer diagnosis one heck of a fight. Askwali!!!

We are reaching for the stars in a fight against cancer for a beloved Hopi mother, daughter, and educator who has invested nearly a quarter of a century into educating our Hopi youth of Hopi Jr./Sr. High School.

On May 1st, 2024, Ms. LaVonne Honyouti was informed of a mass detected in her body. She was referred to outside centers (Hopi Health Care Center does not have specialized treatment services available to our people). She received a confirmed diagnosis of Stage IV metastatic kidney cancer on June 17th, 2024. LaVonne withdrew from the summer Hopi to Harvard program she has spearheaded for Hopi High School youth since the early 2000's, to await results of testing, and finally, begin her journey of treatment to fight the cancer.

Lavonne has shown strength through the infusion treatments and the daily medicine routine, both of which have helped improve her health in comparison to pre-diagnosis. She has been extremely optimistic about the upcoming months, prepping herself for another school year while dealing with this new obstacle. She remains optimistic, and hopeful that something will turn around for her. She makes a choice every day to fight the negative and stay as positive as possible. The Hopi community has rallied behind her, coming together for a local fundraiser for the travel assistance she needed for treatment and appointments. LaVonne is currently being treated in the nearest town of Flagstaff, AZ. This requires numerous 250 mile round trips in a month.

Now she faces another battle. She was only able to receive full coverage of one month of her recommended daily medication that supplements her infusion treatments. She is currently advocating for her continued medicine supply to both Indian Health Services and her private insurance, both whom are unable to come to an agreement on coverage of her prescription. She applied for a manufacturer scholarship for coverage, and she was denied. She no longer will receive her daily medicine as of 7/18/2024.

What are we raising money for?

INLYTA (5mg), is no longer be available to her unless she pays her co-pay fee of $5800 for a one month supply. After today, she will only receive the infusion treatments unless she can pay for the medicine herself. The total amount ($34,800) reflected in our fundraiser would cover a 6-month supply of INLYTA, which is mind-blowing to us. There are many people on the Hopi reservation who work full-time and don't make that amount of money in a year. This GoFundMe is collecting money specifically to contribute to her medicine co-pay.

How long does she need the medicine?

There is no exact timetable on when she will stop needing treatment or INLYTA. We launched this fundraiser in hopes that we can ease her mind for 6 months, and in the meantime continue to search for other support programs that can help her in the future.

How this fundraiser will work

All funds will be directly deposited to LaVonne as she is the beneficiary of this fundraiser. LaVonne is still working on appeals, and exploring every option possible to get the full coverage of her medicine. For now, we are hoping to hit the $5800 mark sooner than later, to quickly order another month supply of INLYTA. Fundraising will continue to our goal amount to help contribute to co-pays for the upcoming months. We will immediately stop fundraising if any action is taken that results in full coverage of her medical needs, and funding is no longer needed.

Nami'nangwa: Coming together for one another

LaVonne gives countless hours to our Hopi education system. She is a lover of science, and that love translates into the way she teaches and inspires our Indigenous youth that attend Hopi Jr./Sr. High School. A large part of her mental strength is inspired by her students. She has been focused on maintaining her health so she can return to school this fall to continue teaching. As a single mother she supplements her income by masterfully creating one-of-a-kind hand-sewn Hopi-inspired contemporary wear. These pieces are often worn traditionally and at local events. She is known to donate her creations to support a local cause or fundraiser. LaVonne currently resides on Hopi with her daughter's cat, dog, and her chickens. She is a proud single mother, whose ultimate goal in life is to see her daughter (age 23) achieve her professional goals and dreams.

Nami'nangwa in Hopi refers to "coming together for one another". We are grateful for the emphasis of these teachings as Hopi. We want to thank everyone for the support thus far. Her current and former students are sharing the impact of her teaching, and are invested in supporting her through this in any way they can. Family and friends, coworkers, have come together to pitch in to help.

We are now reaching beyond our Hopi reservation lines for more people to join us in support. We remain hopeful that everything will work out. Askwali (thank you) for taking the time to read this. A dollar, a share, a prayer, a recommendation on programs that may be of assistance. Everything helps right now. ASKWALI.