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Raina's Medical Funds
Hey everyone!
Our daughter Raina has been dealing with some very serious thyroid problems lately and the bills for all of the medical treatments are growing as the days go by.
Of course she needs every bit of care, so we will continue to do anything necessary to keep her healthy and strong. A little help would be really great! She has always been a fighter and has been incredibly strong throughout this entire process.
Raina is a great student and has been in cheer for almost as long as she has been breathing. She loves it with all of her heart and soul. She and the sport are so closely bonded, that an accident caused by cheer helped bring to light her serious thyroid condition. This condition might not have surfaced until much later and that could have been far too late.
Her story starts in early October. Raina's throat started to hurt, and there was some fatigue. We brushed it off thinking it was just a common cold or maybe just her allergies flaring up.
12/16/16
Raina had a cheer accident and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and they were very concerned with possible neck injuries.
They found three discs were compressed and there was some muscular damage, but that was the least of the terrifying news.
While analyzing her neck, the doctors noticed one large thyroid mass. This jump started their worry and ours.
12/20/16
About a week later, she began physical therapy for her cheer injury. She has to attend physical therapy 3X a week and this has taken a toll on her, her school work and doing what she loves, I.E cheer.
That same week, she had a follow up doctor’s appointment for the thyroid mass.
12/22/16
On the 22nd, she had a thyroid ultrasound and they found 4 tumors rather than 1; located on both sides of her thyroid. The ultrasound was very concerning and the Dr ordered Nuclear Scans.
12/29/16 - 12/30/16
She underwent 3 seperate nuclear imaging scans to figure out if the growths were in fact cancerous.
1/3/17
Still unsure of the severity of the growths, the doctors referred us to Endocrinology at Children's Hospital Dallas.
On the 5th, we went to the appointment and they scheduled a biopsy to find out whether or not the tumors are cancerous and to help us plan our next steps.
1/16/17
The surgical biopsies took place and on the 19th we had a surgery consultation because even though they have not been announced as cancerous, they have not been cleared. The situation is still severe and requires surgery.
1/24/17
The biopsy results came back "inconclusive". This means that although they cannot say for certain she has thyroid cancer, they also cannot say she doesn't. Surgery is a must. The surgeon will send her entire thyroid, and part of her parathyroids for a full pathology work up. He will also examine her lymph nodes, which are enlarged, for signs of cancer.
2/14/17
The surgery is planned for 2/14/17 and as of right now the only diagnosis we have right now is that there are 4 suspicious tumors. We are unsure of cancer at this time, but we are hopeful that it is not.
My family and I are so grateful for all of the nice things that you all have said about Raina, and our family and the prayers have being incredibly kind! We cannot wait to have Raina back to normal and healthy again too!
The expenses include
The ambulance/ER - $3,914
Sonogram - $400
Nuclear Imaging - $771.49
CATScan - $1,920
Biopsies - $2,764.20
GP - $450
Endo - $180
Physical Therapy -$900
Surgeon $390
Surgery $10,000
We are humbly asking for your help. A parent should never panic about costs of procedures when their baby is sick, and yet here we are. These medical expenses are very high and while we are financially stable, we are not able to keep up with these drastic costs. We could use a little help! Any donations are very much appreciated and if you cannot donate, please keep us in your prayers.
Thank you so much!
-Amy