On March 31st, our beautiful friend Valerie Culkin suffered a seizure while parked in her car outside of a CVS. Fortunately, a customer saw her and alerted an employee who was able to get Val out of her car, prop her on her side to stabilize her and alert 911. Luckily, Val was on the phone with Shane, and he was able to give them all of her information. She was immediately transported to Northside Hospital in Atlanta, where she underwent an MRI, PET Scan and in turn a lung biopsy. She then received the crushing blow that after 9 long years of remission, the cancer had returned. Valerie was diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 breast cancer. HER2+, an especially aggressive subtype, has been found in her brain, left lung and adrenal glands. After being in the hospital for more than a week, she began 10 consecutive whole-brain radiation treatments. This was very rough on her body and her hair quickly began falling out, which she bravely shaved off. It will be 6-8 long weeks to see if the radiation was effective. In the meantime, doctors are now targeting the remaining tumors in her body. The Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, where Val was originally treated, has agreed to work alongside her Northside Oncologists to give her the best treatment possible. On May 9th, Val had her first session of intense chemotherapy. This course of treatment could last up to 12 months. Unfortunately, Val does not qualify for FMLA (job protection) because she’s only been with her present employer less than one year. Due to her being at risk of seizures, she cannot drive and with such an intense treatment schedule, she cannot work. In the meantime, her full time caregiver, Shane, has not left her side. At this point, Val & Shane are concerned about current and future expenses. If you are comfortable showing support financially at this time, it would be greatly appreciated. With that being said, they could also use a little happiness. Whatever that looks like to you- letter, email, text, good vibes or just plain silliness -preferably in a way that makes her snort laugh –if you know, you know. Let's send joy her way. Laughter is known to strengthen the immune system, boost moods, diminish pain and protect the body from the damaging effects of stress. Laughter is truly the best medicine and something we can all offer. Val is courageously sharing her journey with us to follow and updates will be posted. Please keep Val and Shane in your thoughts and together we will help see them through this. Your support means more than you know.
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