Main fundraiser photo

Pamela Horton's Medical Expenses

Donation protected
Hello, my name is Tony and I am reaching out on behalf of a loving community around streamer, host and internet personality Pamela Horton. Pamela is a fun, loving and positive member of the gaming community who works hard to inspire the creativity and passions in others. She spends a lot of her time online playing games and chatting with her community, doing charity events and livestreams and promoting self-care.


But, unfortunately, Pamela has had a life of medical illness that she has grown pretty accustomed to, especially in regards to her history with cervical cancer (Cervical Adenocarcinoma). But in the last 10 months she has undergone 5 surgeries, 4 of which were emergent and I know this has put her under a lot of emotional and physical duress. Most of it revolved around the financial burden of having had so many doctors appointments, tests, surgeries, hospital stays and procedures. Even when she is going through her roughest of times, she puts herself out there for her friends and community, never asking for anything in return. Although she would never ask for help, I know Pamela needs it and that’s where I’m hoping our efforts can come into play. I hope we can band together to ease the burden on such a beautiful soul.



Background

In early 2016, my really good friend Pamela Horton was diagnosed with Lynch syndrome. Lynch Syndrome, also known as Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colon Cancer (HNPCC) is a genetic mutation that she was born with that predisposes her to many types of cancer. Lynch Syndrome has a few different mutations and hers is one of the rarer ones. With this genetic disorder, she has a higher chance than the general population to develop colon, ovarian and endometrial cancer among a long list of others. In January 2018 she underwent a prophylactic total hysterectomy and salpingectomy to reduce her chances of getting endometrial cancer. The decision was made due to a personal history of cancer and unsolved issues with her endometrium. After this surgery, Pam continued to have complications with pain and a “pulling sensation” whenever she stood up or went to the bathroom. Tests showed no scar tissue and no attachments to the bladder, where the pain was centered.


In late March, while travelling abroad for a convention, she suddenly began bleeding and was rushed to the emergency room. It was there she discovered her hysterectomy scar had not only healed to her colon, but her vault incision suffered from dehiscence. Because of this she had to have an emergency surgery at a hospital in Amsterdam.  


While coming off the heels of her second surgery, on July 3rd, she started feeling intense pains in her lower right abdomen. Fearing appendicitis, Pamela went to the ER where it was discovered she had a large mass originating from her right ovary. Due to her Lynch Syndrome diagnosis, she was told it was potentially cancerous and that all that could be done was pain management until she could see an oncologist after the 4th of July. For two days she sat in intense pain in a hospital with a 9cm cyst that had caused her ovary to twist, cutting off blood flow. Because doctors at the hospital requested no additional tests be done to confirm her diagnosis, Pamela transferred hospitals to a trusted doctor where she was taken in for another immediate emergency surgery. Unfortunately, the ovarian torsion had gone untreated for too long. Due to a misdiagnosis, Pam lost her right ovary. Fortunately, the mass that had caused the torsion was not cancerous, but the damage had been done. For the months following she endured a lot of hormonal changes in addition to the recovery process of a surgery. But, she finally felt she was in the clear.


Since Pamela is only 30 years old, her doctor felt it was important that she keep her remaining ovary and that they keep an intense look out for any future signs of cysts that could potentially cause torsion or eventually become cancerous.


In early September, Pam began to feel the exact same pain she felt before her last surgery, this time on the left side. She was immediately brought into the emergency room where she was given an ultrasound to find another very large 9cm+ cyst on her left ovary. She was wheeled in for another emergency surgery. Her left ovary had also twisted, but the doctor was able to remove the cyst and save the ovary and attempt to prevent future torsion by suturing the ovary in place. To prevent anymore cysts, Pamela was put on birth control and felt confidently that was the end of her rollercoaster of a medical journey.


Unfortunately, life doesn’t always like to work that way. In the middle of October, Pamela began to feel the same pain again. She was rushed to the ER where they discovered she had another cyst, but it was too small to cause the pain, had not caused any torsion. To figure out why she was in pain, she spent a week in the hospital where she had episodes of intense pain. With all the invasive surgeries and complications, Pamela’s pelvic floor muscles were spasming and seizing almost constantly. Without being able to do physical therapy (due to pelvic rest after her many surgeries), she has been in constant pain since her first surgery in January. To help alleviate the pain until she could be treated in physical therapy, Pamela had another minor surgery to block the nerves to her pelvic floor.


She has had 5 surgeries in the past 10 months and it has taken a toll on her emotionally and financially. Due to her medical issues, she has been unable to work, but still uses her time to inspire her followers and raise awareness on self care and advocate for genetic testing for things like Lynch Syndrome.


If you were to meet Pamela you would know that she is one of the kindest and sweetest people in the world.  She is the type of person who loves to make people smile and works hard to be there for her friends and followers. She is always the first person to offer help to those that need it and would never ask for help herself. But, I know the medical bills are piling up for her and cause her a lot of stress, especially because her recovery has made it hard to work. You would hardly know it with how she makes an effort to make others smile and feel appreciated so that why I’m asking on her behalf. Any contributions to help reduce the burden of her medical stresses would be greatly appreciated.  


Thank you.
Donate

Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $5
    • 1 yr
  • Anonymous
    • $10
    • 1 yr
  • Lydia Bourgeois
    • $10
    • 2 yrs
  • Matthew Landis
    • $5
    • 2 yrs
  • Nicholas Yee
    • $300
    • 2 yrs
Donate

Organizer and beneficiary

Tonez Villarreal
Organizer
Laredo, TX
Pamela Horton
Beneficiary

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee