Hi my name is Shilo Stephens and I happened to be diagnosed with Stage 4 Cervical Cancer on January 6, 2023. I have had a really hard time this year getting by barely because of my elderly mother and stepdad. They both live on SSI and I just this month have finally been approved for SSDI. I am 46 years old and have 1 son who will be 30 this year on December 12, 2023. We all know Social Security Benefits help but are not enough to do much with. My mom and stepdad have tried to support me financially but it’s been a nightmare. The gas alone to my Dr’s has become unreal. This doesn’t count all the other expenses because I am unable to work. I also almost died in the middle of March from renal failure which is kidney failure sorry for those who don’t know what renal failure is. The 3 tumors I have on my ovaries are blocking my urinary tract there for it caused my kidneys to start shutting down and I almost died. I had to stay in ICU for 3 days and stay in the hospital for a total of 9 days from there I transferred to Harris Methodist Hospital in Ft Worth, Tx where I had to have surgery and have bilateral nafrostomey tubes put in so I didn’t die. I have been in the hospital at least once a month every month since it all started. It seems everytime I go to my chemotherapy treatments my body ends up crashing. I have to be put in the hospital constantly for infections from my own body because I am unable to fight off natural bacteria in my body. I have also had to have 4 or 5 blood transfusions also since this all began. I have received good news my body is responding well to my treatments so I am slowly getting better. This has been the hardest year of my entire life. I feel like nothing is normal anymore and all I do is see tons of Dr’s and live in the hospital or in my bed most of the time. I also found out my tumors became abscess and ate a whole threw my bladder. Once my cancer is gone I will have to have a full hysterectomy and full reconstructive surgery on my bladder and the top part of my vagina in order to fix everything. I am lucky to have medicaid for Breast and Cervical Cancer to help pay for my Dr’s but it is so expensive for us to have to travel to my Dr’s in my mom’s truck since we live in a small town in the country. My main cancer Dr is a little over a hundred miles round trip and my out patient antibiotic infusions I have to have when I get an infection one round of treatment was 28 days long. That was $ 40.00 dollars a day in gas and over a hundred miles a day for 28 days straight. That’s a lot of money when you live on Social Security or your family is trying to pay for everything on their Social Security. I also have to drive about 50 miles round trip to my chemo treatments once every three weeks. I have a bunch of other Drs I have to see also like my Kidney Dr, my Urologist which is who does the tubes in my back for my kidneys. I also have to have surgery every 2 & a half months to replace the tubes with fresh ones so I don’t get sick from them. The list just doesn’t end. I hope even if it’s not my goal every little bit would help because I need a small car to go back and forth to my appointments plus my mother would not have to cancel her appointments because we only have one car. I never dreamed my life would be this way and I would be so vulnerable I have always worked. I worked two jobs and raised my son alone so I am not used to depending on people and definitely not to the point where I literally can’t work. I can’t do anything that involves pushing, pulling, lifting, bending over, or strains my body. Well that’s pretty much anything and everything. It doesn’t help my body just literally doesn’t like me most of the time. I will not bother you with anymore details and I want to say Thanks to anyone who chooses to help me through this horrible time in my life. Sincerely Shilo Stephens
