Support Leora's Urgent Cancer Battle

Jacque Klas here. I met Leora when we both lived in Corvallis and she was pregnant with her second child, so very long ago.

Leora met Robert and they married in 2018. Things were great, until...I'll let Leora tell the rest of the story.

Two years ago I was diagnosed with appendix cancer. I was told this was a rare cancer & the only thing that Willamette Valley Cancer Institute (WVCI) had to offer was chemotherapy that would at some point no longer work to keep the cancer at bay. The standard thinking was that it could work for anywhere between 2 to 5 years. I was told that without chemotherapy I would possibly live 2 months. I chose to contact Hospice at that point. I had already had cytoreductive (CRS) surgery which was to remove all visible signs of cancer and was feeling fine. I was put on palliative care with hospice since I was still high functioning. I decided to try Linus Pauling’s IV Vit C since I heard from the Hospice NP that other people with cancer were doing this. I did this for 4 days a week for 4 weeks. During this time I met other cancer patients & learned about Facebook (!) cancer support groups & what lots of other patients with appendix cancer were doing. It turns out that there are various kinds of appendix cancers & there is a lot happening in the medical field besides just chemotherapy. There were surgeries and something called HIPEC (Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy). HIPEC can help treat many types of cancers that are difficult to treat, yet no one at WVCI was using it or referring to those clinics or surgeons who were. Unfortunately, it took me 2 years to find the surgeon who was willing to help me, partly because my so- called aggressive cancer (part of the misdiagnosis?); had spread.

But, here I am scheduled for CRS/HIPEC on Dec 5 th at Mercy Medical Hospital in Baltimore, MD with Dr Armando Sardi. He has over thirty years of experience. My health insurance is paying for some, but there are also unexpected expenses, like TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition), IV elemental nutrition since the cancer has caused me to lose my appetite. My upper body is skin & bones. At this point, I’m paying approximately $6500 out of pocket for TPN (which I may need again once I’m out of the hospital). I also will have had three hospital stays at an out of pocket cost of $1600/ each. So things are starting to add up quickly. I will need to stay an additional 2 to 4 weeks close to Mercy Hospital for follow-up care. I have a place to stay, but will need a rental car in order to shop, do laundry & get to & from appointments 80miles away in Baltimore. It’s uncomfortable to ask others for money, but even small amounts from several can add up to a substantial sum. I thank you in advance for any assistance. Love & hugs. Donna “Leora” Oleksa

Story for Go Fund Me.docx

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