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This Is Brandy’s Battle, Can You Help?

A fellow blogger, Brandy from Not So Average Mama, was just told this past Friday night that she has a mass the size of a volley ball on her left ovary that was probably Ovarian Cancer {She will not know for sure if it is cancer until it is removed and biopsied, but the ER doctor said it’s sheer size indicated Ovarian Cancer}. She is only 35 years old. She also has no health insurance. She needs immediate surgery and a consultation with a gynecological oncologist. But she cannot get any doctor to see her because she doesn’t have insurance. She is scared, in pain and needs to be treated NOW. This should not be. She should be able to just proceed with battling her illness without worrying about money.

I want to help her. I want to be able to scoop her up, put her in my car, take her to a hospital and DEMAND that they treat her and get this thing out of her. But I can’t. I’m two states away.

Therefore, I am going to hold a fundraiser auction here to try and help defer the costs of her medical care {Auction date to be announced}.

This is Brandy’s Battle.

Here is a little background on Brandy and her medical issues:

Brandy has seen specialist after specialist trying to find out what is really wrong with her. Each specialist sends her to yet another one. It’s frustrating and costing her a ton of money because she does not have health insurance. She has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, but that diagnosis did not explain the other strange symptoms she was having, including head jerking, loss of balance, inability to hold a pen and slurred speech. All the specialists so far have been baffled. And two weeks ago, her stomach suddenly swelled up to where she looks 8 months pregnant. This did not happen gradually. One day her belly looked normal, the next, she was all swollen for no apparent reason.

So this past Friday night she went to the ER. She had been in pain, unable to keep food down, vomiting and having trouble breathing. And the belly was getting bigger. At the ER, they ran several blood tests and did a dry Cat Scan {She is allergic to the contrast media normally used to detect blood flow paths}. Imagine her surprise and devastation when she was told that she has a mass the size of a volley ball on her left ovary and it was likely cancerous. They gave her a referral for a gynecological oncologist, then they cut her loose.

YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT. Denton Regional Hospital sent her home without any real treatment. Just a piece of paper with a doctor’s name on it and informational sheets about cancer.

WHY? Because she has no insurance.

Brandy has three beautiful little girls. Her husband owns his own construction business and she works from home as a photographer, graphic designer, blogger and web host. She’s doing what she can. But insurance just isn’t affordable for a family of five when you don’t have a corporation paying part of the premium for you. It sucks. Especially when something like this happens. To date she has bills totaling nearly $12,000. The gynecological oncologist she needs to see in order to be evaluated for the surgery will likely cost around $500 and that has to be paid upfront.

Brandy cannot get any kind of help for the cost of the surgery, she has been denied all state help for her medical expenses. Texas does not have any help for their uninsured residents. She was told that for a family of 5 to qualify for medical assistance, they need to make $700 per month or less!! She needs this mass out of her NOW. It is growing at an alarming rate. The ER doctor also told her that a complete hysterectomy is necessary.

I am scared for her.

The longer she has to wait to get proper treatment, the more time this mass has to grow and cause more problems for her health.

I am asking you to help this amazing person battle this probably cancerous tumor. You can bid on the items we will have in the auction or you can donate directly. Either way, I am asking you to spread the word. And if you want to sponsor this auction or know someone who does, you can contact me here. Just put “Brandy’s Battle” in the subject line.

Our sponsors so far are {I don’t have all the items being donated listed yet, so please forgive me}:

($25 Starbucks gift card)

(Rhinestone t-shirt)

(Avon products & necklaces from Little Dots and Pretty Spots)

(Soy candles from black corse and Vado video camera)

(Amazon Gift Certificates)

(1 Ticket To Bloggers On Bourbon

Hosted by BookieBoo & MomDot.com)

(custom twitter background, retail value $30)

Author Charles J. Orlando, The Problem With Women…Is Men

(3 autographed books)

(Target gift certificate)

(TinkerBell & The Lost Treasure Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack)

(6 months 125 X 125 above the fold ad space on her blog sidebar)

(Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Designer Deluxe for PC, 5 CD Set)

***PLEASE NOTE***

Sponsors will be responsible for shipping auction items to the winning bidder