Lifting Up Laura
Donation protected
As many of you may know, in August 2018 my 33-year old sister in law, Laura Allio and her husband Michael, received devastating news of a probable recurrence of her cancer.
After nearly 18 months of chemo, radiation, a double mastectomy, more chemo and countless hospital visits, Laura was seemingly on the path to recovery from the stage 2b breast cancer diagnoses she received in April 2017, just 6 months after their sweet baby James was born. In January, Laura’s scans showed that there was no evidence of disease. Despite this, Laura was adamant that another scan be taken in mid-August to confirm that she was cancer free. While doctors noted an additional scan wasn’t needed, her persistence won and the scan was performed.
As a shock to us all, on August 23, 2018 Laura and Michael received the devastating news that the scan showed a concerning spot on her liver. Laura’s doctors are confident that this lesion signifies a recurrence of her cancer and therefore, at the beginning of September, Laura will have the lesion removed and sent out for testing. This recurrence would put her at stage 4 cancer which means that more creative methods need to be put into place to ensure Laura has the strongest possibility to beat this.
So many people have reached out to show their love and support, and to ask about ways they can help. This Go Fund Me Page is a way to help Laura and Michael access the care, resources, and lifestyle they need to give them all the strength to continue to fight like hell. Beyond cancer being devastating, it is expensive. Insurance will cover the scans, the surgeries, etc. but ALL other supplementary expenses are out of pocket.
New costs pop up every day, but here is what we know they can expect soon. Those costs that are known for certain are listed below, however there are some costs we are not exactly sure of yet.
Western Medicine
- COBRA costs due to Laura carrying the insurance prior to the loss of her job earlier this year ($1600/month)
- Flights to and from hospitals for second opinions, treatment, etc. (airline tickets will cost at least $300 each time they travel, not including hotel costs and other costs associated with being away from home)
- Research on her lesion performed by Foundation One (a sample of her lesion will be sent out for testing to determine the type of cancer she is dealing with so she can best fight it)
- Functional medicine expenses
- A consult Dr. Nasha Winters who uses natural medicine to target stage 4 cancer successfully ($500 for just the consult, not including ongoing treatment)
Eastern Medicine
- Acupuncture 2x a week ($31 each session)
- Natropath doctor visits twice a month ($200 each visit)
- A treatment facility to focus on detoxification and finding the root cause of her cancer (approx. $10K, depending on the facility)
- Research by Sator Therapeutics – Cost is TBD but likely in the thousands (this is a personalized approach to treatment in Europe that would allow Laura to receive a customized treatment based on her specific type of cancer)
- Additional exploratory medicine expenses that arise (This will be the driving cost of treatment going forward as Laura needs to determine the root cause of her cancer and be vigilant in her approach to treatment)
- Mistletoe injections ($180 monthly)
Lifestyle
- Regular massage treatments ($40 each session)
- Organic groceries weekly in lieu of a meal train or other meals dropped off ($200) – Laura is on a very strict diet and this will allow her to maintain it
- Supplements ($180 a month)
Despite the stage 4 diagnosis, Laura and Michael are confident that they can beat this. People live for many years and go into remission with this diagnosis, but this type of success requires a lot of work, exploration, alternative medicine, and the expenses that go along with it all. This Go Fund Me page will help to ensure that Laura and Michael can focus on her treatment and have relief from some of the expenses that will come their way in the future
Following the removal of this mass in early September, we will know, for certain, if this is cancerous. Because the doctors believe it is, we would like to give Laura and Michael a jump start on the upcoming expenses. If, for some reason, the results of the test indicate that this mass is not cancerous, all funds will be refunded
Thank you in advance for your generosity, love, and support.
After nearly 18 months of chemo, radiation, a double mastectomy, more chemo and countless hospital visits, Laura was seemingly on the path to recovery from the stage 2b breast cancer diagnoses she received in April 2017, just 6 months after their sweet baby James was born. In January, Laura’s scans showed that there was no evidence of disease. Despite this, Laura was adamant that another scan be taken in mid-August to confirm that she was cancer free. While doctors noted an additional scan wasn’t needed, her persistence won and the scan was performed.
As a shock to us all, on August 23, 2018 Laura and Michael received the devastating news that the scan showed a concerning spot on her liver. Laura’s doctors are confident that this lesion signifies a recurrence of her cancer and therefore, at the beginning of September, Laura will have the lesion removed and sent out for testing. This recurrence would put her at stage 4 cancer which means that more creative methods need to be put into place to ensure Laura has the strongest possibility to beat this.
So many people have reached out to show their love and support, and to ask about ways they can help. This Go Fund Me Page is a way to help Laura and Michael access the care, resources, and lifestyle they need to give them all the strength to continue to fight like hell. Beyond cancer being devastating, it is expensive. Insurance will cover the scans, the surgeries, etc. but ALL other supplementary expenses are out of pocket.
New costs pop up every day, but here is what we know they can expect soon. Those costs that are known for certain are listed below, however there are some costs we are not exactly sure of yet.
Western Medicine
- COBRA costs due to Laura carrying the insurance prior to the loss of her job earlier this year ($1600/month)
- Flights to and from hospitals for second opinions, treatment, etc. (airline tickets will cost at least $300 each time they travel, not including hotel costs and other costs associated with being away from home)
- Research on her lesion performed by Foundation One (a sample of her lesion will be sent out for testing to determine the type of cancer she is dealing with so she can best fight it)
- Functional medicine expenses
- A consult Dr. Nasha Winters who uses natural medicine to target stage 4 cancer successfully ($500 for just the consult, not including ongoing treatment)
Eastern Medicine
- Acupuncture 2x a week ($31 each session)
- Natropath doctor visits twice a month ($200 each visit)
- A treatment facility to focus on detoxification and finding the root cause of her cancer (approx. $10K, depending on the facility)
- Research by Sator Therapeutics – Cost is TBD but likely in the thousands (this is a personalized approach to treatment in Europe that would allow Laura to receive a customized treatment based on her specific type of cancer)
- Additional exploratory medicine expenses that arise (This will be the driving cost of treatment going forward as Laura needs to determine the root cause of her cancer and be vigilant in her approach to treatment)
- Mistletoe injections ($180 monthly)
Lifestyle
- Regular massage treatments ($40 each session)
- Organic groceries weekly in lieu of a meal train or other meals dropped off ($200) – Laura is on a very strict diet and this will allow her to maintain it
- Supplements ($180 a month)
Despite the stage 4 diagnosis, Laura and Michael are confident that they can beat this. People live for many years and go into remission with this diagnosis, but this type of success requires a lot of work, exploration, alternative medicine, and the expenses that go along with it all. This Go Fund Me page will help to ensure that Laura and Michael can focus on her treatment and have relief from some of the expenses that will come their way in the future
Following the removal of this mass in early September, we will know, for certain, if this is cancerous. Because the doctors believe it is, we would like to give Laura and Michael a jump start on the upcoming expenses. If, for some reason, the results of the test indicate that this mass is not cancerous, all funds will be refunded
Thank you in advance for your generosity, love, and support.
Organizer and beneficiary
Brynn Allio Popa
Organizer
Akron, OH
Laura Ritter-Allio
Beneficiary