I never thought I would have to do something like LFEBridge. Unfortunately this is my reality right now. My name is Kristeena Schultz and I am a 43 year old social worker who just got diagnosed with terminal cancer. I was initially diagnosed in December 2013 and the tests revealed two cancers: squamous cell and adenocarcinoma. Squamous is curable with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, whereas adenocarcinoma is a scary dude. It's unpredictable and temperamental and doesn't like to go away unless physically removed. So, in December 2013, I had a radical hysterectomy. I began a regimen of 37 external radiation sessions and 3 internal radiation treatments. The treatment plan also included 3 chemotherapy treatments, however these were stopped because the side-effects were too severe and the oncologists did not believe they would change the outcome.In May 2014, I had follow-up scans and there was no sign of cancer. I was officially in remission. I went back to working, playing hockey, doing CrossFit and traveling . I still had some side-effects like lymphadema which caused swelling in my legs, and fatigue, but that's all. However, more than these physical symptoms, I struggled with the fear of recurrence - every pain and off-feeling put me into a state of hyperchondria. But I had regular check-ups and there were no signs of trouble. In the summer of 2015 I noticed myself feeling more tired and run-down. I had gone on several trips, and the last one to Scandinavia seemed to destroy me. I was having back pain, my bladder was wonky and I just didn’t feel right. I came back to Canada and booked an ultrasound and met with my oncologist. The ultrasound revealed fluid in my abdomen and my kidneys weren't working. My fears had been confirmed.Since getting emergency tests as an outpatient was proving to be difficult, my oncologist planned to admit me to hospital to get the tests done. The morning of the planned admission, I woke up with incredible pain. The pain turned out to be blocked kidneys. They started me on Morphine to control the pain, and the next day I had a stent put into one kidney to see if it would help my functioning. The single stent was not effective and another one had to be put in. I had an MRI, 2 CATscans and ultrasounds. The doctors believed there was cancer in the abdomen, but that it was contained. However, they wouldn’t know for certain until doing exploratory surgery.After the surgery, I felt much more pain than I had with my first surgery two years previous--something felt wrong. I got back to my room and the look on my parents’ face said it all: the adenocarcinoma had spread to my pelvis, ovaries, and additional spots were seen throughout my abdomen. It was actually a tumour that was causing the kidney to not function. More importantly, the cancer had spread to my bowel and was positioned in such away that it was impossible to remove surgically. I'm now 43 years old and I have terminal cancer. I've chosen to go through a round of chemo to see if it shrinks the tumours, but I am realistic as to the chances of it working. This is where you come in: I don't want to beg, and I understand the economy is horrid, but I am putting my ego and pride aside to ask for your help to look for treatment outside of Canada. We have looked at the Mayo Clinic and the University of Texas-- both of which specialize in cervical cancer. Unfortunately, each of these places charge $27,000 US just for the initial consultation. There are also numerous alternative measures that will be looked at. At this time I am waiting for medical records so they can be forwarded to the hospitals within the next two weeks, as it is likely I will begin the chemotherapy regimin in 3 weeks. It would be greatly appreciated and help a lot if you could contribute sooner rather than later. I am hoping to raise enough funds to pay for transportation, consultation and hopefully treatment. There are no guarantees that this will save my life, but I feel I need to try. Any funds not used for my treatment, will be donated to cancer research.Words are not adequate to communicate how much your help means to me. Please feel free to forward to others as appropriate. Thank you for your continued prayers and positive thoughts. Kristeena
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