Welcome to my fundraising page! I am proud to be a part of the WUNDER WARRIORS.

These three little faces are why I am fighting so hard. They need a mom to raise and guide them through life's milestones. I am determined to be here to do just that. I know at this point there is no cure for Stage IV colon cancer BUT I believe with all my heart that we are close to finding a cure or at the least a way to turn this into a manageable chronic condition. I also believe the Wunder Project is the best vehicle to do this. 100% of donations are going to research!! 

In the spring and summer of 2012 I started feeling something was not right with my body. I experienced some changes in bowel habits and occasional sharp pain. As an otherwsie healthy, active 40 year old woman with a high threshold for pain (3 large babies and no pain meds!) I knew something was wrong. I just had no idea how wrong. In August 2012 a colonoscopy revealed a tumor almost completely blocking my sigmoid colon. Then on August 27, when the colorectal surgeon opened me up to remove this tumor, he made a shocking discovery: I had extensive cancer spread in my abdominal cavity. I had Stage IV colon cancer. At the time, he determined it was better to do nothing other than create a diverting colostomy to relieve pain. My family and I were thrown into turmoil. Suddenly I was given very low odds of living more than 2 years. My then 9 and 7 year old children had just started 4th and 2nd grades and my youngest, 3, was about to start preschool for the first time. How could this happen to them? I quickly learned there is no answer to that question. All I can do is accept where I am and fight like crazy for life. 

I began chemotherapy in October after I was healed from the first surgery. My local oncologist, the wonderful Dr. Christopher Haberman, sent me to talk to Dr. Perry Shen at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC. Dr. Shen is an expert in peritoneal carcinoma, and I needed an expert! Our first meeting was somber. He discovered a lesion on my liver and said this not only had the potential to reduce my eligibilty for surgery with him, it also made my situation more serious. He soberly told us the facts and that I had a 20% chance of surviving even 5 years. Once the initial shock wore off, I rallied and became determined to be part of that 20%. After 8 rounds of chemotherapy, to which I responded well (meaning the cancer....not that it was easy!!), I was scheduled for CRS with HIPEC. Translated this is cytoreductive surgery, where every trace of visible cancer is picked out of my body, followed by heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy where heated chemo is poured into my abdominal cavity and shaken around for two hours. The latter is often refered to as "shake and bake" and the whole thing "the mother of all surgeries." In spite of the severity of this surgery and the high potential for complications I was excited to do it. This was my best shot at long term survival. On February 13, 2013 in a 14 hour surgery Dr. Shen was able to remove all visible cancer from my body. It was a tough surgery, I lost a lot of blood and had lung failure. Less than 24 hours later I was sitting up in a chair in ICU. And exactly a week after surgery I walked out of the hospital (hobbling, but erect!) and began healing. Four weeks later I resumed chemotherapy and finished the remaining 4 rounds of this 12 round cycle. At the end of this, in April 2013, my blood levels and scans did not show any direct evidence of active cancer and I was given a treatment break. In August 2013 at my six month post-surgery check up, scans revealed that the cancer is back. Or it never left. I will undergo 12 rounds of chemotherapy from September 2013-February 2014. I often forget about cancer, and I try to focus on living and enjoying all that my beautiful life has to offer. I am so grateful to have a wonderful team of doctors caring for me, as well as legions of prayer warriors, friends and family. I could not be where I am now without all of the support I have been given. It is truly a gift. 

I have never been one to like asking for money, or even selling things. But this cause has me willing to do just that. My life, and that of so many, literally depend on it. Many other cancers get lots of attention and have huge networks behind them.  Colon cancer, when combined for men and women is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death but no one wants to talk about it. Seriously, everybody poops and has these body parts, so it seems very silly that the "ick" factor is attributed to the lack of attention. 

To help reach my goal I have big plans for a local event (fun and fundrasing combined!) here in Savannah. If you are not local and interested in making a donation (or crazy and want to help with both!) this is the place to do it. Gloria asked each of us to set our own goal. I picked $5000 representing my family of 5. Thank you in advance for considering this. It is time for a cure. Cancer, your time is up!