Hi, my name is Michelle, sister of Monica Uram. Most of you may know Monica was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. Genetics showed Monica was not dealt a great reality. Monica (and Maureen) are carriers of the BRCA2 gene which basically provides the body a protein to suppress tumor growths. With the risks for breast cancer and ovarian cancer being incredibly high as a carrier of the BRCA2, Monica underwent a dual mastectomy in 2014 and then a hysterectomy. After chemo therapy initially in IV form, she suffered from all of the side effects associated with treatment including nausea, vomiting, exhaustion, and the dreaded hair loss to just to name a few. Monica was then put on chemo medication which she has been taking daily over the last 10 years. The purpose of the medicine was to decrease the risk of recurrence and keep her in remission. Fast forward close to TEN years. Monica was not feeling well and had been experiencing bloating, excessive vomiting and overall exhaustion. She went to urgent care and they stated she had food poisoning and it would pass. Some time passed and Monica was still experiencing these symptoms. She went to the ER and they stated it was a virus which would also pass. Finally, searching for reasons for her symptoms, she again visited the hospital looking for answers. She was eventually admitted into the hospital with what they believed was an intestinal block. She was retaining fluid in her stomach which made it incredibly difficult to breathe. Fluid was removed through thoracentesis. Can you believe they removed 3 and a half liters of fluid from her thoracic cavity?!? The hospital was still not sure of the exact problem so they performed blood work which included a CA 125. A CA 125 test measures the amount of the protein CA 125 (cancer antigen) in the body, a number that should be close to zero. Unfortunately, the cancer has returned. Monica was transferred to another hospital which specialized in oncology. She underwent exploratory abdominal surgery and that is when they found the cancer had spread to her abdomen. Since the cancer has reached her stomach, Monica now has a colostomy bag and is on bowel rest. Monica, Austin, and her son Liam are starting another battle with cancer. She is going to have a long road ahead of her and will need all of the support we can offer. I have started this LFEBridge in order to help Monica and her family with the costs of medical supplies necessary to care for her ostomy and expensive cancer medications. Why these are not 100% covered I will never understand!! Monica mentioned colostomy bags alone were close to $180 for 60 bags and she changes her bag 3-4 times a day. I will provide updates as they come. Thank you friends and family!
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