How to help
This is all so new to me. I don’t know how to answer this quite right. I’m still navigating what I really need each day. I’m open to suggestions and thank you. Check in on us. That means so much to our family. The boys are doing alright. We all have good days and less good days. Come visit. Or text. Or call and we can chat. Everyday it seems like it’s something new we could use support with. All help is welcomed :)
What I really need is this vaccine, and that comes down to raising money. I’ll let you know when LOVE4LUNGS.ORG, our fundraising site, is live. Dr. Lam has opened up clinical trials and it’s all about fundraising. If you or your company are looking for a good cause to get behind, please let us know. Many of Dr. Lam’s patients fundraise in hopes that more rounds of trials can start. Last check in, $125,000 was needed to open the next trial. This website funds goes directly to Dr. Lam, and I will have one set up that is similar: David’s site: Sweatforbreathe.org
Please sign up on the front page so I have your contact info. You can also sign up for substack(blog) right here for updates. Thank you. If you're nearby and can assist, here are some ways you can help out below.
HOW TO HELP OUR FAMILY
We could use help with babysitters for Meadow when Veronica is helping me with physical therapy and Elizabeth (pictured far left) is unavailable to watch her granddaughter. :) If you know anyone who might like to watch an adorable one and a half year old, let us know. She’s also looking for a part-time nanny.
Sometimes Mike and I could use help driving/watching the boys/playdates here after school and on weekends - no more screens. If that person likes lacrosse, skyzone, yestercades, video games, basketball, and food - they will get along with my children.
Thank you!
FUNDRAISING PLANS
We are learning about fundraising - do you know more? We’d love help.
My tv producer turned romcom author brain has taken over which is a good thing, and I’ve come up with things to do. I’m working on making some shareable videos about the vaccine to post on this site and others. If you can help on the production side of things - gear, lighting, van to transport gear- lmk.
If you happen to have an airbnb near Baltimore, Maryland - LMK
WORLD DOMINATION… or something close to it.
Read Below… I have so much more to say about what I hope to do. If interested, scroll down… I know this is already alot!
A FEW MORE THOUGHTS…
I’m still in shock that this is now my reality—and my family’s too. I keep asking myself the same questions over and over: How did this happen? If you know me, you know I’ve always been very proactive about my health—seeing doctors regularly (like for my ear issues, unrelated, BTW) and never missing a screening or wearing 100 SPF sunscreen. This isn’t something that could have been picked up earlier. There’s no test for it. You find it too late. It doesn’t show up in blood work. It wouldn’t have appeared on any of the MRIs for my sinus surgery nine months prior —unless, of course, a lesion was in my brain. When I heard ‘lung cancer,’ I was floored. I’ve never been so thrown. My preconceived ideas about lung cancer had me questioning the results.
All I know is that there’s no early screening tests for lung cancer —-which, apparently, kills 1.5X more women than breast cancer —- because if there were, I would have been first in line.
The people I’m meeting in my support groups are young, active — some of them run marathons! — non-smokers, and they’re just as confused as I am about how this happened to them. This strikes so randomly. There's no way to prevent it. My doctors say these cancer mutations just… happen. But I do feel incredibly fortunate to have the ALK mutation because it means I have a magic pill I can take. Every day, I’m beyond grateful for that, knowing there’s treatment in the form of a TKI, at least for now. I am beyond lucky for my support system which my therapist calls, my pit crew. I’m accepting members. :) There’s something more to this I know it. This vaccine has all the makings of something that could really change things.
What I hope to do… the beginnings of a mission statement.
Help support others who have ALK+
Tell my story.
Fundraise for this vaccine
Make a video about the vaccine so it can be shared and explained clearly.
Start Love4lungs.org - so funds can go to Dr. Lam’s Lab at John Hopkins Medical Center.
Bring awareness to ALK+
Understand why there isn’t early testing for lung cancer and change that.