Updates

Hello friends, family, and strangers alike,

Sleep isn't happening tonight, so I thought I'd check in! I can't believe we are over $50k! To be very honest, this has helped with many medical bills that remained open due to insurance gaps.

Additionally, YOUR NOTES, POSTS, CARDS, PRAYERS, VIBES, GOOD THOUGHTS, FINGERS AND PAWS CROSSED, have absolutely sent my spirits to a place they haven't seen in a long time. I feel encouraged, motivated, loved, supported, and even more thankful as I went into the dreaded Thursday Chemo.

Unfortunately, I have faced what many others have fought before me. My insurance has denied many claims based on their own parameters to save their money.

For example, denied petscans, which provide valuable information on where the cancer has spread. I've also been denied blood transfusions because the Red Cross is dangerously low. (please donate if you can!) Denied injections for a medication that tells my body to make more red blood cells because I wasn't deficient enough....per insurance, my hemoglobin needs to be under 10, even though the medical community describes dangerously low anemia as being under the level of 12. This week they required a new prior authorization for an injection I have been giving to myself all year for my body to create white blood cells. At the last minute, it was approved. Without it, I could not receive chemo.

Fighting almost daily with my insurance has been very expensive and a large waste of unnecessary stress. I spend approximately 10 hours per week on the phone with my insurance. Some weeks more, some less.

YOUR DONATIONS have been a HUGE help in paying all the gaps between what my doctors billed and what my insurance paid. So, THANK YOU for giving me the reprieve of staggering deductibles, copays, coinsurances, etc as I went to phl today for treatment. You all gave me the ability to face treatment without debt overshadowing my treatment. There aren't enough words for the relief I felt today. I am humbled again.

Today I was super excited for my new driver in the routine. My sister in law, Abby, was in rotation to take me to phl for chemo. We don't get a lot of time together, so I really looked forward to today. We basically laughed from the time she picked me up until the time we got home. Not looking at our phones/social media all day, we didn't realize there was a northern lights show. So, I almost killed us by yelling (scaring the crap out of Abby) on 476 turnpike when I realized what the pink lights were as we drove over the bridge in Clarks Summit.

My Dad, when I texted about the light show, told me it was a candle lit for me in heaven. My very close friend took a great shot of the northern lights. It's mostly pink (during breast cancer awareness month) and also very close to the anniversary of my diagnosis (it also looks like a heart!!!) My paternal grandmother, Rita Calvey was on my mind in 2020 when I made a very rare appt for pain in the center of my chest, leading to my diagnosis that had nothing to do with the pain. My maternal uncle has recently passed after his fight with cancer. He was my buddy who understood my fight and who I could talk to about cancer. He gave me comfort knowing he truly understood how I felt, and showed me how to hold myself with grace as we continued through our treatments. I like to think those two are lighting this candle to let me know I'm still not done here for a while.

So I leave you a picture of my candle (best taken by my friend Madelyn) and a picture of my sweet sister in law, Abby, who also put my gamer name (pizzalegs) as a temp tattoo. Thank you Abby and Madelyn!

Today was a very, very good day. It was a day of renewed hope from y'all; A full day of laughs, giggles, and full out belly laughs that made the nurses pause; A day full of gratitude for my life extending treatment; The light show as I crossed the big bridge to come home to cheer us on.

Thank you. You all contributed to one of the best days I've had in a looooong time. Thank you for today. <3

PLEASE keep sharing. I don't have the words to tell you all how much it means to me. Thank you a million times over for the stress-free treatment today. Thank you for allowing me to not be weighed down with the stress of money today. I promise I am still looking for those who need my help in return for the love given to me.

Hello friends, family, and all supporters I have yet to meet,

I posted an update to my Instagram and should have also posted an update here.

I am beyond amazed and thankful to each and every person who has shared, posted, sent messages, texted, emailed, and donated. It feels like the weight of this cancer has been shifted from the shoulders of Mark, Dylan, Jordan, and myself. I am truly so thankful for the enormous outpouring of support for our family.

Caretakers usually don't see the same support as the patient, however, you all have shown them how much their are recognized through this as well.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I am grateful that after the last four years of endless love, care and cheerleading from Mark, Dylan, and Jordan can now be seen by many. Through years in high school during covid, graduations, starting college, working tons of hours, they have never complained or failed to cheer me on, even on the worst of my days. I'm so proud of them and am so proud to share their bottomless love and care for me for you all to see.

Thank you for reaching out to them and making sure they are ok, loved, and supported. Knowing this gives me the ability to focus on my treatments so I have more days with these lovies. Thank you.

Additionally, an update. I've recently had scans that showed some improvements in my lungs with my new chemotherapy regime. My family has lovingly been taking turns in driving me to my weekly appointments in Philadelphia. Each week, a new driver. I get a very cherished day with each driver. As we know, once kids move out and have their own families, it's rare to be able to have a whole one on one day with one parent or sibling.

Cancer has the ability to take so much, but what it doesn't know is that I can take advantage of cancer. I know it's there and can appreciate each day and moment much more than if I didn't have cancer.

It's my little hack. I'm so grateful to have these days and moments. More so, to appreciate them fully and live in each moment 100%.

My last visit to Philly with Mark included a wrong *wink wink* turn on the way home. We ended up at Ocean City NJ for a quick dip of our toes in the salty water. We snapped a quick selfie attached here

Our Dylan has also created a Sim racing fundraiser event coming up on Saturday, Oct 26th with iracing. We will post updates and links as we get more information for anyone to watch or join. Let us know if you have iracing and are interested in racing!

Thank you all! Please continue to share as this has been the largest healing our entire family has felt in four years with all of the notes, stories, and prayers sent in. Thank you.

-Sarah

To all our friends, loved ones and gentle strangers —

The response we've seen in the last 48 hours on GoFundMe has left Sarah and our entire family utterly speechless and quite overwhelmed by the kindness we have witnessed from all of you. There are no words to truly express our sincere gratitude but please know that from the bottom of our hearts, we are deeply moved by the outpouring of support, both on a financial front but through all the heartfelt messages we have gotten. Thank you, it means so much. You all have brought a lot of comfort and encouragement to Sarah and our whole family!

For all of those who have donated, we are reaching out to each and every one of you privately in the coming days to express our gratitude in person.

We will also be back in touch shortly with updates on Sarah's condition and for all those who have shared this to your networks — you are THE BEST!

With gratitude and love,

Lauren, on behalf of Sarah and our whole family