A few months before two major milestones in our family—my final push to earn a PhD and my sister’s career shift—our parents’ world collapsed beneath them. My father lost his auto-mechanic business to financial pressure, and soon after, our mother, Pamela Mielcarek-Kidder, was diagnosed with an extremely rare and aggressive cancer: Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma (ACC). It is on many lists of the rarest forms of cancer in the world, an individual is 125 times more likely to get diagnosed with breast or lung cancer then they are to get ACC. This statistic of ACC striking around 1 person per million each year gives it’s distinction as an “orphan disease”. It resonates the term orphan in the saddest ways leaving those with it, feeling lost and forgotten in a world that has tons of support for cancer, grants, wellness retreat opportunities, only to find your specific cancer is no one else’s concern and qualifications are limited – especially in todays world. Lots are known about this devastating cancer, but few clinical trials occur leaving terrible treatment options that seems barbaric to the body due to their substantial life altering off target effects. ACC’s limited research results in frequent insurance denials for treatments that might help—simply because the data doesn’t exist (Example: targeted immuno-therapy drugs that cost over $100,000). And yet, for over three years, Pamela has fought relentlessly, learning and sharing stories with fellow ACC warriors.
How It Began
In late 2021, Pamela was prescribed blood pressure medication after doctors dismissed her symptoms. For months she reported severe side pain, but no one scanned it. No doctor said “cancer,” and no one mentioned ACC—a critical time where seeking expert care might have changed everything. Doctors initially made her feel like an emotional woman who was constantly complaining about things that weren’t real. After half a year of knowing something wasn’t right she sought new help. Someone finally listened and they found a tumor larger than a softball engulfing her left adrenal gland. In June 2022, a local surgeon attempted removal, assuring us this was a routine tumor removal surgery – although she was loosing that left adrenal gland. Research shows a complete and clean tumor removal is the strongest predictor of survival – the tumor ruptured during surgery, seeding the cancerous materials throughout her abdomen. We now know, the surgeon was not aware that this cancer’s tumor morphology including method of adhesion to tissue are different from many common cancers. The surgeon’s only remark afterward: “It felt like tofu.” She was diagnosed at Stage III, with an average prognosis of 2–5 years. Therefor from the start, due to this cancers rarity and lack of local doctors knowledge of this cancer, this journey started as a continuous nightmare.
Biology Behind ACC’s Emotional Toll
ACC disrupts the adrenal cortex—the source of cortisol, the hormone that regulates stress, energy, immunity, and emotional balance. When ACC invades, cortisol often surges uncontrollably. The result? A body locked in permanent “fight-or-flight,” causing:
- Rapid weight gain
- Muscle weakness
- Blood pressure spikes
- Anxiety and depression
- Intense mood swings
For Pamela, this hormonal storm has been as painful as the cancer itself. It’s reshaped her daily life, amplified fear, and tested her mental health. Yet she continues to fight with courage and grit. Pamela’s Treatment Journey Despite the rupture setback, Pamela pursued every medical path available:
- Chemotherapy
- Proton therapy
- Removal of the adrenal gland (triggering severe anxiety until her remaining gland “woke up”)
- A second complex abdominal surgery
- More chemo, then more radiation
Doctors often express shock at her resilience—she continues to outpace expectations. She declined a chemo drug that would destroy her remaining adrenal gland because living permanently steroid-dependent for only marginal benefit wasn’t worth the cost. Insurance has resisted covering promising immunotherapies due to the cancer’s rarity. Charities rarely include ACC. Research funding for rare cancers has been slashed. The safety net for patients like Pamela is disappearing.
Her Mind-Body Fight
Since the beginning, Pamela has paired conventional treatment with holistic approaches: medicinal mushrooms, supplements, herbs, saunas, cold therapy, Reiki, energy work, and diet shifts. These helped shrink tumors at times, but ACC adapts and evolves. Keeping up with it on disability-level income is impossible. Financial stress weighs on her daily. She often minimizes her needs, but recently whispered something that broke us: “I’m starting to wonder if my debt is more of a burden than my life.” Only 30% of ACC patients survive past five years. This fight is urgent. I believe in my mothers chance due to what I’ve seen in her and in that she’s had scans showing at times tumors shrinking – one instance caused doctors to finally ask about what alternative things she was going. But this is not always the case.
A New Chance at the NIH Against the odds
Pamela now qualifies for a major surgery at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).. Their ACC specialists believe they can remove cancer across her diaphragm, spleen, kidney, and liver—damage left from the initial rupture. This surgery is massive, involving diaphragm reconstruction and months of recovery. NIH no longer covers the full costs as they once did. Travel, long-term lodging, and post-operative care will fall largely to our family. But this could add years to her life. We want her focused on healing—not bills.
How Donations Will Help
Every contribution supports Pamela directly through:
- Travel, housing, and meals for NIH surgery and recovery
- Medical co-pays and follow-up care
- Holistic therapies that stabilize symptoms
- Psychiatric and emotional health support
- Cancer retreats focused on mind-body recovery
- Basic living costs while she is out of state receiving treatment
For those unable to give financially, sharing our fundraiser, offering discounted treatments or products, or helping with short getaways for her mental well-being is equally meaningful. Thank you for standing with her—and with us.
With love,
Kevan, Kimberly, Fred & Pamela Mielcarek-Kidder
A Message From Pamela
“This journey has tested me in every way, but I still believe in healing, hope, and community. I’ve spent countless hours researching and sharing what I learn with others facing rare cancers. I’m learning to live fully while fighting—something harder than I ever imagined. I’ve discovered Reiki, crystals, and the small joys that ground me. Most of all, I’ve realized how precious family and connection truly are. Every person who helps me—I feel it deeply. My goal is to outlive the statistics and be here to see grandbabies one day. I want to help others who face the same system failures I’ve experienced. I know that God, loved ones, and the energy of the universe are carrying me forward.”
Peace, love, and light — Pamela