Update: March 5, 2024
Debbie is incredibly grateful to all who have been praying for her, and also humbled by all who have given to her fund! Thank you! We hope to get the word out that she still has a great and urgent need for more funds in order to keep going.
Debbie continues to fight for her life, and is now combining treatments recommended by her medical team that include chemo and immunotherapy, and, very importantly—in-home care as well as lymphedema therapy. The chemo and immunotherapy treatments completely drain her physically and keep her from functioning normally. The lymphedema in her arm continues to be nearly unbearable and debilitating. PET scans show that there’s been excellent improvement with the cancer, but the good news also comes with stern warnings from the doctors to “continue to treat the cancer aggressively, as it can quickly come back with a vengeance”. Debbie has had to hire in-home help out-of-pocket, as her lymphedema has made it impossible to care for herself or do the necessary tasks of daily living. She is in desperate need of more funding and prayers.
Thanks again to all of you for your love and concern!
Your prayers and/or tax-free donation, big or small, could be life-saving!
Debbie, a K-12 music teacher and life-time friend of ours, is at a crossroads as she fights aggressive breast cancer. She has had to stop teaching for now due to her health. Deb is also a caregiver to four of her family members who need her oversight and frequent physical care. Her financial need is extremely urgent, and her life depends on it! Based on progress made so far, her medical team is very hopeful that if she continues the necessary treatments, she can overcome the cancer (praise God for hope and good news!). Without financial help, though, she will not be able to complete the treatments, which would be a huge risk.
In a Nutshell:
- Debbie is single, and is a caregiver to her aging parents, as well as to two adult siblings who each have a debilitating genetic brain disorder. This is an extremely stressful time for her as she tries to care for four loved ones while fighting cancer and bearing up under extreme financial strain.
- Debbie has stage three triple negative breast cancer and her medical team has recommended individualized chemo/medical treatment because she also has a severe auto-immune disease and is not able to endure the standard dose of chemo. The special and more successful lower dose treatment is, unfortunately, an out-of-pocket expense.
- She is so thankful for everyones’ love and prayers! Close family and friends have already pitched in and helped financially, but she urgently needs much more help in order to pay for her individualized treatment and keep it going until it is completely successful.
How Will Donations Be Used?
100% of any donations will be used directly for cancer-related expenses such as the life-saving chemo and the wellness protocol prescribed by her medical team, as well as travel and accommodations related to treatment.
How Does our Family Know Debbie?
Debbie has been a close friend of our family for over 40 years, and she has been a close friend of mine from college days. She has been like an aunt to our children for as long as they can remember. She is honest, cheerful, hard-working, encouraging, and has taught many of us an awful lot about many things, not the least of which is how to face a tough time with tremendous faith in God.
Debbie and I went to college together in the 1980s (we both studied music and had adventures over the years playing our flutes together in restaurants, and various other places… including New Mexico, Oklahoma and Europe), and we’ve remained very close throughout the years.
We’ve watched Debbie pour her life into 1000s of students, as well as giving her time and energy to family and friends over the years. We pray that in return, as a community, we can collectively help her make it through this very difficult journey!
The Apodacas
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your[a] life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
(Colossians 3:1-4) ESV