Fighting for a Cure to Live
Hi everyone! I am sure you are going to find this quite odd that I am raising money for myself, but God spoke to me this morning and told me that this was my best option. So here goes....I am about to reveal to you my story and why it is so important that you either donate or share my campaign (please, we really need to get the word out!).
My life was going great in 2015. I had a wonderful job,a car I had worked hard for (it was my first brand new car), a house I had paid for completely on my own, and I even began fostering two boys who truly needed me. I loved my life. I was able to cook dinner every single night for my children and my husband. I even had the most AMAZING friends a girl could have ever asked for! Then, in August, everything began to change.
I began running fevers every single day. I could no longer work. I started coughing up blood. I had more kidney infections than I have ever had in my life. I went to an infectious disease doctor and she found that my ANCA levels were high which was an indicator of some sort of autoimmune disorder. She referred me to Dr. Ruiz.
Dr. Ruiz is one of the most amazing nephrologists in the entire universe. He sat down and spoke with us. My kidneys were failing. I received dialysis while he was desperately trying to solve the mystery that was me. After fifty million blood tests. he diagnosed me with Wegener's Granulomatosis. This is a type of vasculitis which is extraordinarily rare and without treatment can be fatal. He needed a biopsy and because he saw nodules on my lungs, he thought that would be the best place to get a biopsy. In walks another amazing doctor, Dr. Vikki Chappel.
On September 22, 2015, I had an open lung thoracotomy (something I would not wish on my worst enemy). After she was finished with my surgery, she took my husband and mother aside and told them that besides the Wegener's she was 100% sure that she found cancer in the nodules. After, sending the samples to the Mayo Clinic, it confirmed her suspicions. I, on top of having a deadly auto-immune disease, now had lung cancer.. 35 with three children with two very rare diseases for my age that are both killers. To say my family and I were in a state of shock and denial is a complete understatement! And here is where you think my story ends, right? Wrong. In walks another, possibly the greatest pulmonary oncologist on the planet, Dr. Chiu of UT Southwestern.
He researched every catscan I had ever had done since March of 2014. Every pulmonologist that saw me in the hospital, missed one extremely important diagnosis...idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Dr. Chiu told me that only 0.00001% of people under the age of 50 ever get diagnosed with IPF. IPF is a terminal illness and the only way to lengthen life is by a lung transplant (even that is no guarantee). Because I have lung cancer, which I got from IPF, I am not a candidate for a lung transplant. He also found that I have emphysema and COPD. My lungs are pretty much shot.
I cannot go in public without wearing a mask or I will get some sort of respiratory infection or a fever. I am basically a prisoner in my own home. I have been on and off hospice twice. Everyone is going to die, we all know this fact, but I have a clue as to when I am going to die and this is a fear that not only me, but my precious children, and my family have to face every single day.
We have started various gofundme pages but with no luck. I figured if you all knew my story and felt the sadness my children have to feel on a daily basis, this might just work.
I know I am asking for a large amount of money but let me explain what this money will go towards:
1. Travel expenses so I can try to find a doctor who can help me live a little longer
2. Medications that my insurance will not cover (specifically my breathing medication)
3. Needs for my children that will go into a savings account in case something happens to me so that I will know they are taken care of
4. Doctors that do not take my insurance (I believe I deserve the best doctors to help me win this battle)
5. Any other medical expenses that may arise.
I want to personally thank you for all taking the time to read my story and donate. Please share this with all of your friends. I may not be a popular person, people may not know my name, but I deserve to live for my children just like anyone else. Please treat me as if I were a celebrity or someone who is well known. My babies (especially my daughter with cerebral palsy) need me just as much as I need them.
Also, I am giving back. I am hosting a walk for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation on October 21st, I am an ambassador for the American Cancer Society, and an advocate for LungEvity. I urge all of you to find and like all of their pages on Facebook.
Here is the link to my blog:http://appleneesyeyeswideopen.blogspot.com/
Here is the link to my page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/shannasjourneythroughlungcancer/