Go Help Alice
Hello, my name is Lindsay Halloran. I am organizing this gofundme page on behalf of my Aunt, Alice Curcio.
The Backstory:
Many of you may not be aware on August 17, 2019 Aunt Ali was admitted into Robert Wood Johnson Hospital where she was then diagnosed with Advanced Stage Multiple Myeloma Cancer. Multiple Myeloma is a cancer which forms in your plasma cells and accumulates in your bone marrow. Due to her advanced stage she is experiencing debilitating bone/nerve pain and has severe bone damage throughout her body. She also had to have a stent placed in her gall bladder and sustained kidney and gall bladder stones as a result of the cancer. There is currently no cure for Multiple Myeloma but the oncologist believes he can help her into remission. While at RWJ Aunt Ali completed her CyBorD round of chemotherapy which did show improvement in her numbers, but did not provide her any relief in pain.
On September 24, 2019 she was moved from RWJ to Somerset Woods Rehabilitation facility in Somerset, NJ. At this time she also began her second round of chemotherapy, which includes injections twice a week and a daily pill that she will now take for the rest of her life called Revlimid. As of now we are unsure how many rounds of chemo she will need, how long she will be at rehab, or how her bones/nerves will handle the therapy she is doing. But she is a fighter, she is trying to stay positive to put forth the work needed to get her life back.
As most of you know Aunt Ali has made a 24+ year career out of detailing boats. There has been evidence that multiple myeloma can be linked to long term exposer to benzene products. Many of the products she has used throughout these years are known to contains benzene. We believe this could’ve had part in her getting sick.
How Can You Help:
She has not been able to work since July, losing her entire income, her busy summer season. She has medical insurance but is still facing medical costs that are not covered by insurance. For example, her Revlimid pills that she will be taking for the rest of her life are not covered and come at a price tag of $17k for 20 pills. We are working with the pharmaceutical company to get her this medication free of charge but as of now she is not approved past 9/30/19 . She needs help with living expenses and household bills as her savings is quickly depleting. Your help will alleviate the additional stress she is feeling, worrying about finances so that she can focus on getting better. She so badly wants to get back out and work on her boats but as of now we have no timeline for regaining an active working lifestyle.
