GiveForward

Surviving cancer is an amazing feat, one that Mary Osheskie accomplished after being diagnosed with stage 3 squamos carcinoma (tongue cancer).

While Mary bravely battled the cancer, the side-effects of the treatments and radiation left her in need of dental care.  Now, her doctors tell her she will need a set of dentures to counteract the side effects of the cancer.

Thankfully, insurance will cover part of the costs associated with the dental care but in order to cover Mary’s out of pocket expenses for the procedure, her friends and family have gathered together to raise $7,000.  So far they have already raised an amazing $6,124.

Everyone here are GiveForward wants to send a big Giveasaurus hug to Mary and the amazing community that has rallied around her to show their support while she fights.  Please take a moment to check out Mary’s story and send some love her way.

Those that know Megan Caper say they would describe her as kind, generous, and always willing to help others in need. But now, she needs the help of her community.

Four years ago at age 33, Megan was diagnosed with Stage IIIb colon cancer.   Unfortunately, having a job, health insurance, and savings was no match when it came to the medical bills that have accumulated throughout the past years.

After battling the cancer for years, Megan is now healing and completing a master’s program in Occupational Therapy so she can help others going through medical problems. However Megan has struggled to pay for school, treatment co-pays and monthly insurance premiums that have increased seven-fold since her diagnosis.

Knowing all this, Megan’s family and friends, stepped up to get Megan the help she needs to finally pay off those medical bills.  They started a GiveForward fundraising page on her behalf and are already gaining momentum.

Everyone here are GiveForward is proud to give love and encouragement, and of course send out lots hugs to Megan and her friends.

What started as a trip to the hospital for meningitis turned into a life-saving serious of MRIs and CAT scans.  Doctors say 17-year old Sarah Reynolds was lucky to have caught the tumor in her jaw as early as she did.

As it was, the ameloblastoma in Sarah’s lower right jaw bone had already done significant damage, without her feeling any pain.  When doctors found the tumor she went in for immediate surgery and they had to remove an entire portion of her lower right jaw.

While the surgery stopped the tumor, it also left Sarah with a fragile titanium plate in her jaw and due to extensive nerve damage, she no longer has full mobility in her mouth.  Doctors say a series of three reconstructive surgeries will help stabilize Sarah’s jaw and allow her to once again smile easily.

Sarah’s loved ones have now come together to help her cover the expenses of these additional surgeries and “help her regain her confident smile” through their GiveForward fundraiser “The Smile of A Child”.  To learn more about Sarah and her fight against ameloblastoma, check out here fundraising page here.

We want to send the whole Reynolds family lots of hug and high fives as they and their community rally together to help Sarah smile again.

Bella is a beautiful three year old girl who was diagnosed with a childhood cancer called Neuroblastoma.  At just three years old, she has already undergone six rounds of Chemo, surgery to remove a tumor, bone marrow transplants and twelve cycles of radiation.

Despite handling more in her young life than most people do as adults, Bella’s only request is one you would likely hear from any three year old – to go to Disneyworld.

To help her get to the happiest place on earth, her family started a fundraiser to cover the cost of the trip.  They managed to raise just over $6,500 on GiveForward and are getting ready for their trip!

In the meantime, the unbelievable outpouring of support from Bella’s community has truly matched her fighting spirit.  Take one look at her website and you can see offers from people to hold bake sales, put out donation jars and even run 50 miles to help fundraise to cover the costs of Bella’s treatments.

The GiveForward team is honored to have been a part of this momentous wave of love and support and we want to send lots of hugs and high fives to Bella, her family and her whole community for being awesome.

Supraventricular Tachycardia is a type of heart rhythm disorder in which a person’s heart beats faster than it should.  When a young woman, Hessed, was diagnosed with this condition she was told that she needed a catheter ablation procedure to remove the extra tissue in her heart causing the irregular heart beats.

When her friend heard about this procedure, they immediately stepped up and put together a GiveForward page to help raise money for her heart condition.  In less than two months, Hessed’s Mended Heart Fund raised almost $10,000.  Thanks to those who donated, Hessed was able to get the life-saving procedure.

We are happy to report that in April, Hessed had a one month post-operation appointment and her doctor officially declared her heart cured and healthy!  Hessed was kind enough to reach out and update us on her progress.  Take  a look at what she had to say:

“I am truly grateful to have come across such a wonderful website during a time of need.  GiveForward made it possible for me to be able to raise the funds I needed to have a catheter ablation done for my heart.  The site is so easy to use and the entire GiveForward team was always helpful if I ever had any questions.  This is truly a great organization and I will forever be grateful for their help and support… oh and my heart is now cured and healthy!

With Eternal Gratitude,

Hessed”

There is nothing the staff at GiveForward loves more than being able to share one of the success stories of our users.  Often, our users are going through a very difficult time and we always try to provide a little bit of hope by sharing the stories of those who have been threre, done that and fought on.

We all want to send a big GiveForward hug to Hessed, her friends and her new heart.  Thanks for sharing your story with us, and the rest of the GiveForward users!

A dedicated husband, father and caregiver, Stephen Hensley was diagnosed with end stage liver disease on January 1st of this year.  Told a liver transplant is his only chance of survival, Stephen’s family has gathered together to show their support to their ‘hero‘.

This is not the only illness the Hensley family is wrestling with, Stephen’s wife has Multiple Sclerosis, which means insurance coverage is stretched thin.  Despite working full time as Deputy Jailer, Stephen does not have STD or LTD insurance coverage through work.  This means that without the support from friends and family, the Hensleys will not be able to cover the medical costs and related out-of-pocket expenses.

Beyond just a support system, Stephen’s daughter, Gina says her father’s love as a caregiver and adopted father ‘essentially rescued my mom, my sister and myself’.  It is Stephen’s love and dedication over the years that prompted his family to rally the troops and show their support by starting a GiveForward page for Stephen with the intention of rescuing him right back.

With the money raised, they will cover all of the out-of-pocket medical expenses associated with this transplant and help give Stephen a second chance.  We hope you will join us in sending lots of love towards the whole Hensley family.

After a tragic accident in March, Jennifer Quach passed away on April 25th, 2011. Faced with the loss of her close friend, Leka Bernard decided to set up a GiveForward page to lift up Jenn’s family during this difficult time.

Jenn was a hardworking biology student at Hawaii Pacific University and the recipient of a full four-year Presidential Scholarship. She was not only valedictorian of her graduating high school class, but very engaged in organizations such as Health Occupations Students of America, Pacific Asian Affairs Council, Chinese Club, and National Honor Society.

In addition to her extracurricular and academic accomplishments, Jenn was a loving friend, daughter, and sister. She devoted her life to helping others and making the world a better place. Leka and her friends are preserving Jenn’s compassion by coming together in support of the family she left behind.

The GiveForward Team chose Jenn’s story as our fundraiser of the week because she and her community truly demonstrate the heart of World Give Day. Please take a moment to visit Jenn’s fundraising page and encourage their efforts!

It is a story you need to see to believe.  A man who has wrestled with diabetes for over 20 years is on dialysis and is in desperate need of a new kidney.  Not one of Darrell Neal’s six siblings would get tested to find out whether they would be a match in order to donate a kidney.

The story was so difficult for the family to handle, Darrell and his wife, Barbara, brought the situation to Dr. Phil for help.  In the end, none of the siblings agreed to be tested BUT there is a silver lining.

A woman named Caroline was watching the show and offered to be tested to see if she was a match to Darrell.  It turns out this complete stranger was a perfect match and she is now preparing to donate her kidney to Darrell.

Sweet Caroline

Her selfless act prompted Darrell and Barbara to reach out and do the same by creating a GiveForward page to help “Sweet” Caroline cover her expenses.  Not only will Caroline be losing money for the month she is out of work during recovery but there are also some expenses that are not covered by health insurance.

We are so honored to have such an amazing story on the GiveForward site and we encourage everyone to head over to the GiveForward Page and show Sweet Caroline the same support she is showing to the Neals.

This week’s Staff Pick Fundraiser is a story of a father who is working to raise money to take his son to India for hip surgery.

20-year old David was born without hip sockets, a condition known as bilateral hip displaysia, and one that is usually treated very easily if it is caught early.

Unfortunately, the condition was not noticed at the time of David’s birth.  Since then there have been years of unsuccessful surgeries, treatments, and a significant amount of pain for David.

Now, David’s father, Michael is focused on ensuring that his son gets the treatment he needs by traveling to India to work with one of the world’s best orthopedic surgeons.

Without insurance, and only one source of income, the family is now asking the community to come together and show their support through the fundraiser.

GiveForward wants to send lots of hugs and good vibes to the Childs family and encourage anyone who wants to donate, to do so on their fundraising page.

This story about one of our youngest users is a heartbreaking reminder about why it is so important for communities to come together and support one another during times of crisis.

Born in Manhattan, NY in the early hours of a humid July 10 at 36 weeks, Minty Python weighed in at a modest 4 lbs 13oz. Amazingly, Minty did not even need to go into NICU.

6 weeks later, on August 24, Minty was crying a bit more than usual. Her pediatrician immediately recognized full-blown hydrocephalus, and a CAT scan hours later revealed a mass. A temporary drain was put into Minty’s head that night

An MRI the next day confirmed a tumor at the base of Minty’s brain, and the tumor was removed that night. Minty was discharged on September 11, having undergone 4 head surgeries in 11 days, all before she turned 8 weeks old. The original diagnosis of desmoplastic medulloblastoma was countered in mid-September with anaplastic ependymoma. Minty started on the Headstart III protocol in October, which is 6 rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, ending in an autologous stem-cell rescue of leveled bone marrow.  The aim is to avoid radiation in children under the age of 10 years.

Minty tolerated the chemo well, and with a lot of bouncing in and out of hospital, as well as a couple of 3-week stints inpatient, completed 5 of the 6 rounds. Then, an MRI on March 12, 2010 discovered several lesions that had grown on high-dose chemo. Minty was immediately pulled off the protocol, and multiple doctors/institutions confirmed the diagnosis of approximately 4 new cancerous tumors.

Since attacking the tumor did not work, the next step was to starve the tumors by going after the blood vessels that fed them, (a process called anti-angiogenesis). Minty began chronic low-dosing of 4 oral drugs a day, 7 days a week, as well as working with energy healers. Sadly, she had to be pulled off the antiangiogenesis when she was no longer able to keep the drugs in her system, and Minty left us the day after her 1st Birthday, on July 11th 2010.

All of Minty’s neurosurgery was with Dr. Anderson at Columbia in New York, and all her oncology treatment was at NYU’s Langone Medical Center, and The Stephen D.Hassenfeld Clinic with Dr.Gardner. When not drinking milk (about 8 hours a day), Minty loved to flirt with anyone who’d lay with her, and she endured the many dress up sessions her mum put her through. She loved to honk people’s noses and hear them go “Beep-beep!” The word “baby” sent her into a fit of giggles, and her favorite song was “Rainbow Connection.” Wave anything vaguely resembling a camera in front of her, and Minty would light up, puff her chest out, and basically goes nuts.

We’ll leave you with Minty’s eulogy from her mum: