Lets go back and review what has happened and what may happen with Dana McDonald
1) Dana started getting headaches on a regular basis, when she told her doctor he sent her to have an MRI
2) Dana had an MRI and they found a brain tumor, they couldn't determine whether it was cancerous with just the MRI so they had her schedule a biopsy
3) Dana had the biopsy which basically is where they crack open your skull and remove as much of the brain tumor as possible and test the brain tissue for cancer. They then shave the head and staple it closed.
4) The testing took about a week and they determined that she had stage 3 mixed oligodendrogliomas. there are 4 stages for brain cancer. The mildest cancer being 1 and the most aggressive being 4.
5) Before all of this Dana had gotten a new job, something that she was excited about and very ready for. Unfortunately when she started, insurance didnt start immediately and for a time she had to pay COBRA insurance. COBRA is an temporary coverage insurance that lets you continue your insurance from a previous job to a new job without a lapse. The problem with COBRA is that its expensive, when you are working your employer pays a large percentage of your insurance. But when you're not that all falls on you.
6) When the biopsy was done and they removed the tumor, the doctor, despite being the best in town, could not remove the whole thing. Why? because some was intertwined with her brain and removing it would affect brain function. Dana remarkably bounced back from the surgery because she had such a great doctor who knew what he could safely remove. She remembered everything and didnt have loss of body control.
7)When they determined the tumor was cancerous the doctor suggested a chemotherapy pill and radiation to keep the tumor from growing back to its original size. She would need both for 6 weeks Monday through Friday.
8)When Dana's Friends and family heard about her cancer we all immediately started worrying, calling her, thinking about what to do, what we could do and her close friend Mandy came up with the idea to do a benefit, a trivia night to raise money for Dana and her kids. Friends and family joined up and threw an impressive benefit and raised a substantial amount for them. It was amazing how well everything turned out and the community really came together to show their love.
9) Dana completed the chemo/radiation therapies last Monday. In June she will go back to have another MRI, if its determined that the tumor has grown she will need to have a double dose of chemotherapy for 1 week out of each month for a range of 6 mos to 1 year depending on what her doctors suggest.
Lets keep our fingers crossed that the MRI shows no growth and that all is good. Dana has a Facebook page where friends and family notate updates and leave Dana our best wishes, you can add her at: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002091743341
We have also set up a paypal account for donations, just click the link below.
