Hi. My name is Brook Miller, and the person in the picture with me is my friend Mary de la Garza. Mary has been my close friend for 30-plus years since we worked together in Austin at the University of Texas back in 1992. We have been through many of life's ups and downs together....marriage, divorce, children, death of loved ones, jobs, you name it. Mary is a fantastic friend, a caring daughter, a great sibling, a wonderful wife, and a loving mother. She is greatly independent and has helped me tremendously over the years. It is my turn to try and help her. To make her story short, and why I have started a LFEBridge for her, is because of her cancer diagnosis. She was initially diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2018 by her doctors in the Austin area. Mary went through the standard treatment at the time - surgery, chemo, and radiation. Not to go into all of the details, but this did not go well. So in 2019/2024, she began working with doctors at MD Anderson in Houston. She again had surgery and more chemo. Her breast cancer then seemed to be in remission. However, in the summer of 2024, her breast cancer had spread and tumors were now in her lungs. The breast cancer had metastasized and she was diagnosed as terminal. Working with oncologists between Houston and Austin, Mary went through approximately 9 months of chemo and immunotherapy. This finished in May 2024, lung scans seemed clear, and she continued the immunotherapy through the beginning of summer. Very recently, she was back in front of her oncologists both in Austin and at MD Anderson. This time it was confirmed that the cancer has spread to her brain. Time is now of the essence. She has a tumor located in the PONS area of the brain. This is the "bridge" in your brain between the brain itself and your spinal cord. It is considered an extremely sensitive area. Surgery is not an option for it is too risky. Her doctors at MD Anderson are presently in talks to determine which treatment will be best for her. As of today, she will be receiving radiation via linear acceleration, with follow-ups every 2 to 3 months...indefinitely. Her immediate future will consist of the following: cataract surgery to correct her vision that chemo has damaged, continuing immunotherapy, radiation, trips back and forth to primary oncologists in Houston, extended hotel stays, and a variety of prescriptions to help with side effects. Due to her diagnosis of metastatic disease, Mary had to retire earlier than expected from her many years of service at UT Austin and they were a little caught off guard with the latest diagnosis. While insurance has helped, the cost of treatment for Mary and her family is adding up, especially with also having one son away at college and another son still at home. This is where you can come in - if you know Mary, you know that over the years, she has done anything she could to help a friend out. Many people have been asking how they can help and I think helping her with these unexpected expenses would relieve the most stress. Any donations received will go to Mary and her family as it is needed most - this would include transportation costs, hotel fees, meals, and medical costs. Thank you.
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