Hello,
My name is Allison and I’m 23 years old, well almost 24. I am going to share what I’m going thru with you. The reason is YouMatter has agreed to help me and they asked me to share.
I got married 14 months ago to my life long best friend Jake. We have known each other since we were 2 years old and we have dated since I was 14 years old. In March, a short time before our wedding, I was diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Cancer. After the necessary surgeries and a few emergency surgeries to correct recurring issues my prognosis was good and my health was returning to normal. Everything was fine; I was working as a Bank Manager in a bank that my father had spent 15 years working at. I was excited about my job and had held my position for two years even thru my illness. We went ahead with our wedding plans and life seemed in order. Then I was included as one of about 85 employees who were terminated from the bank because of my personal involvement in a legal speculative investment. The bank came up with a reason and 85 people lost their jobs. I was upset and somewhat depressed that I had lost the job I liked so much. I was also not feeling well and after being written off as just a depressed woman, I visited the surgeon who had handled my prior cancer surgery and after listening to me and running some tests he discovered that my thyroid cancer had in fact returned only this time in the form of Medullary Cancer.
Medullary Cancer has a much lower recovery rate than Papillary Cancer has and the survival rate is lower as well. As often happens, with Medullary Cancer, my cancer spread to the lymph system in my neck and thru further tests, distant site tumors in the cervix have been found.
In addition to this I have developed endometriosis and am facing a surgical procedure to correct that in the end of October of 2011. While doing that surgery, the surgeon plans on exploratory steps to see exactly what is going on with the cancer in my cervix and possibly in my ovaries. I have already had several tests and procedures and biopsies done and we know for sure those tested positive but a close “inside” look is needed to plan the treatment and determine a prognosis.
There is a lot we have found out, but there is more to discover and make plans for. As you might have guessed already, my medical bills and medication bills are stacking up. So far my cost for the medications alone runs in the range from $700.00 to $1500.00 every two weeks and with the upcoming surgeries and discoveries that cost is expected to rise drastically.
I’m unable to work and my wonderful husband and encourager is working and providing as best he can. We are not facing these developments as victims but together we are facing this as a challenge we will get thru. I feel truly blessed to have a husband/partner like Jake. I know without him my journey would be a lonely one but with the way he stays beside me, I feel his strength and support and I am determined to fight and to win my battle.
