Help Veronica Ramirez

A LITTLE ABOUT MY AUNT

My aunt Ronnie has always been a big part of my life. She’s the fun aunt; you know the one. She takes you shopping to the mall and buys you a hip new outfit for no reason. She lets you stay up late watching movies with your cousins and even orders you all a pizza.

She has 4 children; Amanda, Hope, Patrick, and Danielle. They are all grown with families of their own. She has 10 grandchildren that she loves very much and spoils like crazy. She drove a school bus before she got sick, and was very close to all of those kiddos as well. They even made her a big get well card which she has hanging up in her home. She has the warmest smile and gives great big gigantic bear hugs even though she is very petite.

IT'S CANCER

My Aunt noticed a bump on the left-side of her neck in 2013. It wasn't huge, but it was noticeable. Her daughters were concerned and talked her into getting it checked out. At first her doc didn't seem to worried about it, thinking it might be a cyst, he prescribed an antibiotic and sent her home. That didn't seem to clear it up so she went and saw an ear nose and throat doctor who after seeing a woman in very good health otherwise also thought it might be a cyst or swollen gland. He too prescribed some antibiotics and sent her home. After some persistence from her daughters she followed back up with the ENT who then recommended that she have some imaging testing done of the area to be safe. When those test results came back they told her that she has a very aggressive form of cancer (they weren't sure exactly what type until they ran further tests). They were telling her that it was stage 3/4 and her doctors were foreseeing a tough fight. As scared as we all were for her, she herself was beyond terrified. Thankfully she has a very strong faith in God and a good support system of friends and family who all love her very much that helped her through the beginning of this ordeal.

A DIAGNOSES

She was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Cancer of the tonsil and lymph nodes. We were all thankful that A PET scan showed the cancer had not spread anywhere else in her body besides her left tonsil and all of the lymph glands on the left side of her neck. A surgery was quickly scheduled and she went under the knife to have the cancerous tissue removed. Even though the surgeon felt quite confident that he was able to remove much of the cancerous cells, her pathology reports showed that she would need radiation and chemotherapy; all of her doctors agreed that this was the best course considering this type of cancer is aggressive and her lymph nodes were involved.

CANCER FREE, OR SO WE THOUGHT

After months of treatments and lots of test she was finally cancer free May 24, 2013. It was a miracle and we were all so thankful for all the crowdfunding that helped her afford her cancer treatments and all the prayers that helped her through the major sickness that came with all those treatments and a final result of being in remission. She had 2 blissful cancer-free years before finding a lump on her jaw in October 2015.

IT'S BACK

In early October 2015 Ronnie noticed a sore puffy bump on her jaw. She hoped it was nothing but to be safe she had it checked out. She had had a clean CT Scan in January so her doctors felt confident it was likely nothing major. On October 19th she got the test results back and it was confirmed that her worst fears had come true, it was back. The doctors were hopeful that it was localized. The diagnosis was that it was a very aggressive cancer. She needed chemo and radiation again (38 rounds) and this meant she was not able to work during that time. After all the treatments she got the news that she was again in remission and the cancer looked to be gone. Unfortunately it came back a little over a year later.

IT'S BACK AGAIN AND INOPERABLE WITH A BAD PROGNOSIS

January of 2017 Ronnie noticed that her tongue was swelling so she made an appointment with her radiologist. They ordered an MRI last week (the week of January 8th) and saw a mass so she was scheduled for a biopsy January 20th. After Doctor Rothman did the biopsy he came out and told her family the terrible news that no one wants to hear, that the cancer is back, that it's inoperable, aggressive, and that the prognosis is bad. The cancer has spread down throughout her tongue to the base of her throat and is wrapped around her carotid artery. Her doctor said they cannot do radiation this time because they cannot surgically remove any of the cancer and her body is still very weak from the last fight. She will have a follow up with her cancer doctors Tuesday January 24th where they will come up with a treatment plan to help give her a little more time hopefully to spend with her family and to potentially slow the cancer's progression. I will update this page when we get that plan.


HERE'S WHY THIS PAGE WAS STARTED

She will be leaving her job permanently. They don't know how much time she has but this cancer is aggressive. She will completely lose her $2000 a month income. Ronnie is a fighter and she has decided to look into alternative routes of treatment as well such as homeopathy to help ease her pain and prolong her time here as much as she can. These treatments will not be covered by her insurance and are expensive so we are asking for donations to help her cover her monthly bills and the alternative treatments. Unfortunately we are also asking for help covering the cost of purchasing her burial plot and funeral arrangements. It's a terrifying reality to have to plan and pay for these things, but one she is facing. She has said that even if she looses this battle, cancer will not have beat her. She is going to fight to spend as much time making memories with her family as she can. Your donations will help her to do just that!

BOTTOM LINE

Any and all funds raised will go directly to Ronnie for upcoming medical bills, funeral planning costs, and hopefully to help make memories with her family while she is still able to. We will keep any of you that donate up to date with her progress on her facebook page (Help Veronica Ramirez). We will keep you in our prayers as well and ask for your prayers for her. Thank you!


PERKS FOR DONATING $100 OR MORE - OR YOU CAN REMAIN ANONYMOUS OR OPT OUT OF RECEIVING ANY PERKS


- $100 or more donation will get you a beautiful cross bracelet with crystals.

- $300 or more donation will get you the bracelet and a handwritten thank you card from Ronnie.

- $1000 or more donation will get you the bracelet, letter, and something amazing that we haven’t picked out quite yet.

Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts and God bless!