CAROL'S CANCER EMERGENCY FUND
Donation protected
I am creating this GO FUND ME on behalf of Carol Jones, she is my Best friend (who is like a sister to me)'s Mother. Carol is 61 years old, living in California still working a full time job as a home health care worker. during this pandemic she had begun to feel exhausted, and different. Upon going for her routine mammogram she was told she required follow up tests as they noticed what seemed to be two masses. After having her tests, they told her she had STAGE 2 CANCER, and she required a surgery immediately in a matter of days to prevent it from becoming more aggressive..then and only then will she find out during post op recovery about what the next step is. Her surgery was on 9/3 and immediately one day after she experienced a post op complication where we needed to bring her to urgent care on 9/4. The next step to be told on September 14th at her scheduled POST OP appointment will either be Radiation or Chemotherapy depending on the outcome of laboratory results from all biopsies and surgical removals of masses. Her daughter (my best friend who is equally as stubborn as her mother) and I had a deep chat and we agreed that it is time to do a go fund me, and unfortunately disclose this very private matter publicly as we are not able to gather resources as fast as we imagined. Her daughter is her only living relative that can care for her however she lives in New York and is in middle of trying to find stable income as her job was lost at the height of pandemic, she currently works part time in New York for a friend so if she re located to LA she to be the caretaker for her mom, she will be unable to work elsewhere. Her mom is at risk of needing to resign from her employment if her health declines and begin what we all know to be a lengthy process of applying for Social Security help to supplement in covering OUT OF POCKET COSTS during her cancer battle. I as her best friend have done what I physically could, but am now asking for some help for her family. At this time Carol is on a medical leave until 9/18 and after that expected to return to work (I am unclear how that is physically possible for her but lets say she does, she would be undergoing treatment while caring for patients at work and potentially risking compromising her recovery...I have a feeling she won't be returning to work) That may have been the original thought while handling her initial tests and appointments but her health has rapidly changed. (If she knew I was doing this I am sure she would rather go without care and "LET GOD HANDLE IT" instead of feeling like a burden of any kind to her daughter or me.
Unfortunately no matter your religious beliefs, reality is.. cancer is tricky and care involves a lot of out of pocket needs and surprises. We have already had to re locate her from her home in order to be her caretakers in a closer place to the hospital temporarily while we search for a senior living center or a respit option that she can get. Those things involve applications and time. During a PANDEMIC almost everything is complicated. I spoke with her surgeon on 9/4 and he said we cant get to her social worker til the post op to move on what she needs exactly and if she can get into an outpatient facility.
This is a true urgent matter. We wish to be further prepared for what is to come in near future as well as everything that is transpiring in real time. We must replenish the emergency funds. Not everyone is blessed to have the ability to already be retired and or "well off" at 61 when having a crisis. Part of the reason it is hard to publicly discuss issues that require us as humans to ask for help is because it might be met with unsolicited advice or judgement. So first and foremost I will say this; I am 36 and fully aware of her options as I have exhausted majority of real time options and I have had family that went through cancer and did not make it in past. Carol has a fighting chance, in order to get to the steps where we get the outside help handled through insurance we still need to pay out of pocket for many things upfront to keep her care current and not cause delays that can be met with additional health issues. At this time her daughter and I are trying to generate funds through both of our career paths that can be done with social distance but there is only so much we can do during the COVID PANDEMIC that is causing many of us to lose our employment or have additional strains financially. We are asking for help. even $1 a person who reads this is something towards a fighting chance. We appreciate you all who have been responsive and checking in, thank you so much. We understand that everyone has their own life and issues, so anything you can do including simply sharing the link is extremely helpful and appreciated.
The photo above is Carol right before surgery, she will also be upset that I shared this choice,.. but we have to share her story, to save her life.
Thank you for reading.
My original post to my social media to my following that knows me is below, I will be posting the amounts donated here and from whom:
"I DID NOT WANT TO MAKE THIS PUBLIC. I AM STILL IN LA BECAUSE MY BEST FRIENDS MOTHER AKA AN AUNT TO ME WAS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 2 CANCER. I HAPPENED TO ALREADY BE IN LA WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND SURGERY WAS SCHEDULED IMMEDIATELY AS A FIRST STEP. I FLEW HER DAUGHTER HERE AND TOGETHER WE HAVE BEEN HER 2 CARETAKERS. I AM BLOWING THROUGH WHAT I HAVE AND SHE IS TOO, THINGS ARE BECOMING SCARY FAST. HER SURGERY WAS ON 9/3. WE RUSHED HER TO THE URGENT CARE ON 9/4 WHEN SHE HAD SOME POST OP COMPLICATIONS. ON 9/14 WE WILL FIND OUT IF SHE NEEDS CHEMOTHERAPY OR JUST RADIATION, EITHER WHICH WAY, SHE WILL NEED CARE AROUND THE CLOCK AND TO BE ABLE TO TAKE TIME OFF FROM WORK. SHE IS 61 AND STILL RELIES ON WORKING TO SURVIVE. EXPENSES ARE QUICKLY BUILDING UP WHILE WE FIGURE OUT ONE DAY AT A TIME WHAT HER HEALTH WILL LOOK LIKE. I NEED HELP TO CONTINUE HELPING MY EXTENDED FAMILY. I AM CURRENTLY IN LA AND I LIVE IN NEW YORK. I AM ROTATING ON CARING FOR HER, I DON’T WANT TO ASK FOR A HAND OUT BUT TO BE HONEST THIS IS CRITICAL AND WE HAVE ALL ALREADY EXHAUSTED WHAT WE COULD ON SHORT NOTICE IN THIS EMERGENCY AND HAVE TO THINK ABOUT UPCOMING DAYS. I CAN TAKE REMOTE BOOKINGS BUT I CANNOT COMPROMISE HER HEALTH AS SHE IS BATTLING CANCER AND TAKE ANY IN PERSON BOOKINGS IN ANY UNSAFE WAY HERE WHILE CARING FOR HER AS IT COULD JEOPARDIZE HER SURGICAL RECOVERY. PLEASE DM ME AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THINGS IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO HELP OUT IN ANY WAY. THOSE THAT KNOW ME KNOW I WOULD NEVER ASK IF IT WEREN’T A DIRE EMERGENCY. (contact info given to personal friends)
Unfortunately no matter your religious beliefs, reality is.. cancer is tricky and care involves a lot of out of pocket needs and surprises. We have already had to re locate her from her home in order to be her caretakers in a closer place to the hospital temporarily while we search for a senior living center or a respit option that she can get. Those things involve applications and time. During a PANDEMIC almost everything is complicated. I spoke with her surgeon on 9/4 and he said we cant get to her social worker til the post op to move on what she needs exactly and if she can get into an outpatient facility.
This is a true urgent matter. We wish to be further prepared for what is to come in near future as well as everything that is transpiring in real time. We must replenish the emergency funds. Not everyone is blessed to have the ability to already be retired and or "well off" at 61 when having a crisis. Part of the reason it is hard to publicly discuss issues that require us as humans to ask for help is because it might be met with unsolicited advice or judgement. So first and foremost I will say this; I am 36 and fully aware of her options as I have exhausted majority of real time options and I have had family that went through cancer and did not make it in past. Carol has a fighting chance, in order to get to the steps where we get the outside help handled through insurance we still need to pay out of pocket for many things upfront to keep her care current and not cause delays that can be met with additional health issues. At this time her daughter and I are trying to generate funds through both of our career paths that can be done with social distance but there is only so much we can do during the COVID PANDEMIC that is causing many of us to lose our employment or have additional strains financially. We are asking for help. even $1 a person who reads this is something towards a fighting chance. We appreciate you all who have been responsive and checking in, thank you so much. We understand that everyone has their own life and issues, so anything you can do including simply sharing the link is extremely helpful and appreciated.
The photo above is Carol right before surgery, she will also be upset that I shared this choice,.. but we have to share her story, to save her life.
Thank you for reading.
My original post to my social media to my following that knows me is below, I will be posting the amounts donated here and from whom:
"I DID NOT WANT TO MAKE THIS PUBLIC. I AM STILL IN LA BECAUSE MY BEST FRIENDS MOTHER AKA AN AUNT TO ME WAS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 2 CANCER. I HAPPENED TO ALREADY BE IN LA WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND SURGERY WAS SCHEDULED IMMEDIATELY AS A FIRST STEP. I FLEW HER DAUGHTER HERE AND TOGETHER WE HAVE BEEN HER 2 CARETAKERS. I AM BLOWING THROUGH WHAT I HAVE AND SHE IS TOO, THINGS ARE BECOMING SCARY FAST. HER SURGERY WAS ON 9/3. WE RUSHED HER TO THE URGENT CARE ON 9/4 WHEN SHE HAD SOME POST OP COMPLICATIONS. ON 9/14 WE WILL FIND OUT IF SHE NEEDS CHEMOTHERAPY OR JUST RADIATION, EITHER WHICH WAY, SHE WILL NEED CARE AROUND THE CLOCK AND TO BE ABLE TO TAKE TIME OFF FROM WORK. SHE IS 61 AND STILL RELIES ON WORKING TO SURVIVE. EXPENSES ARE QUICKLY BUILDING UP WHILE WE FIGURE OUT ONE DAY AT A TIME WHAT HER HEALTH WILL LOOK LIKE. I NEED HELP TO CONTINUE HELPING MY EXTENDED FAMILY. I AM CURRENTLY IN LA AND I LIVE IN NEW YORK. I AM ROTATING ON CARING FOR HER, I DON’T WANT TO ASK FOR A HAND OUT BUT TO BE HONEST THIS IS CRITICAL AND WE HAVE ALL ALREADY EXHAUSTED WHAT WE COULD ON SHORT NOTICE IN THIS EMERGENCY AND HAVE TO THINK ABOUT UPCOMING DAYS. I CAN TAKE REMOTE BOOKINGS BUT I CANNOT COMPROMISE HER HEALTH AS SHE IS BATTLING CANCER AND TAKE ANY IN PERSON BOOKINGS IN ANY UNSAFE WAY HERE WHILE CARING FOR HER AS IT COULD JEOPARDIZE HER SURGICAL RECOVERY. PLEASE DM ME AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THINGS IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO HELP OUT IN ANY WAY. THOSE THAT KNOW ME KNOW I WOULD NEVER ASK IF IT WEREN’T A DIRE EMERGENCY. (contact info given to personal friends)
Organizer
MIVIDA JDM
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
