Ashley's DFSP Rare Cancer Medical Bills

Campaign Created by: Paul Van Drie

The funds from this campaign will be received by Ashley Van Drie.

Goal: USD $100,000
Raised: USD $ 3,020

We know everything is in God's hands, but we need your HELP! Ashley is being attacked by evil, and the evil that Ashley faces is Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans(DFSP), a very RARE type of skin cancer. https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/9569/dermatofibrosarcoma-protuberans. #GivingTuesday

Ashley, as many of you know, is an AMAZING woman. She is not only the love of my life, but she hands down, saved me from MY darkest days. Ashley helps everyone she can, every chance she gets. Without ever taking concern for herself. She has kept her aunt sober for 4 1/2 years now and deals with her alcohol induced dementia every day, caring for her. All she wants to do is have a nice garden where she can help feed others and provide us with organic foods, start our nonprofit to help other veteran families and provide a safe space for Veteran's in crisis, and live life to the fullest with me, her children and grands, and the rest of her family and friends. She wants to start a wedding and event company, with a great friend, to help fund the nonprofit. Now, not only is this all being put on hold, she faces a battle we could not see coming. She has already started fighting this by changing her diet to an extremely healthy, raw, cancer-killing diet and using every natural item we can find to try to fight this naturally, but the softball sized lump on her shoulder is causing a lot of discomfort and pain, not to mention affecting her in other ways.

Ashley is uninsured, due to the Army improperly skipping the Medboard process in my discharge (we are still fighting this but would give her Tricare) and the Veterans Administration(VA) messing up her ChampVA coverage (pays up to 80%). She is now in a waiting period for her application to even be reviewed. They are currently looking at March applications, so we are looking at not having any type coverage until next April. We have just spoken to an insurance broker to attempt to get any type of insurance and what will cover her we can't afford to get. We have been paying for everything out of pocket since this appeared. Already the bills are becoming overwhelming, and match that with the waiting for any type of plan or information, like when she will have the surgery, is added stress that is definitly not needed. So, please allow me to tell you about how this came to be and ALL that Ashley has had to endure throughout the past couple of months. 

At the end of May, Ashley noticed something new on the back of her right shoulder, a raised lump. She thinks smaller than a golf ball size. This lump appeared in the same area that a "cyst" was most of her life (numerous doctors looked at it and called it a cyst, since she was 12). While she was surprised by it, she basically wrote it off as a cyst. Ashley is very HOLISTIC and has tried to change her diet (even prior to finding the lump) and wanted to try some homeopathic treatments to try and make it shrink/go away. After a month or so of these treatments, the lump was not shrinking, so she was convinced that she was ready to have it looked at. Off to St. Mary's ER we go (Mid July). When we get back into the ER, The Dr (Nurse Practioner) Said, "WOW, that's big"(everyone does), and asked to take a photo to show his collegues. We agreed and off he went to discuss with his peers. He came back in a short bit, saying "OK! Let's Try to open it up". He then injects local anestisia (Lidocaine) into the lump. Ashley began complaining that her face was going numb, then she continued until it was full body numbness. It really freaked her out.They did not seem too concerned, and then they checked to see if she was having paralasyis, which she did not. The Dr. opened it up, only to put immediate pressure on it, looking around, as what I call, "frantically" and asked the nurse to go get the ER Doctor in charge. The doctor poked in, looked at it, told the NP to close it up, it was a lipomoma, and we needed to see a surgeon. They then released us with a halfway done suture job, and without even checking her chronically low blood pressure! The next day, the surgeon's administrator said we couldn't  see the surgeon without a Primary Care physician referral, not the ER's, I guess. Ashley, doesnt have a primary care, so we called Medlink, because they accept CHAMPVA. Well, they couldnt find her number for the insurance, so we paid on a sliding scale. We saw a PA, and she said "WOW!", but she thought that a dermotoligist should be able to take care of it. She sent us to the Dermatologist. Let me add in here that Ashley had zero pain, just a lump, until we went to the ER. Then, it began growing rapidly and started causing pain after they cut it open. We finally get to see the dermatologist, who looks at it, says "WOW", and then says we need an Ultrasound to see if there is blood flow. We find and set up Ultrasound in Seneca, SC (Aug). The cheapest rate. We get the Ultrasound done, and the Dermatologist says there is blood flow, but you need a surgeon, she can't do it. So NOW, we are headed to General Surgery, where they see us, say "WOW" (by this time it's the size of a softball), and then state we need a CT scan to see if it is connected to muscle or anything. The next thing that happened, weirded us out at best, as our General surgeon said "We are moving you to a diffrent doctor here in the building", but wouldnt say why, give us a name, or anything. We only recieved a phone call 30 min later from "Dr. Griffin's office", to set up an appt. We then searched Piedmont Hospital to find out he is a "Oncologist Surgeon". SO, now worry has crept in fairly strong. We still had no idea what it was. We knew it wasn't a cyst, a lipoma, and the last description was a "mass". Dr. Griffin threw out a bunch of medical terms and different sarcomas, that just freaked us out even more. There are over 70 different sarcomas and most are rare. Ashley has a rare kind and hers is extremely rare. Since seeing the Oncologist, we have had an MRI, CT biopsy, and blood work done, in which they have now sent to the MAYO clinic, after finding that it is DFSP and how rare it is. DFSP, from what we understand, is a sarcoma (cancer) but it isn't something that she ate, didn't eat, took, or could have prevented (although she believes the period of her life that she wasn't so healthy aided in it developing). There is a change in the genes, either chromosome 17 or 22, that happens sometime after conception. Basically, Ashley has had this her whole life and didn't know it. I guess her body was strong enough to fight it off or something. They really haven't given us much information, which is really nerve racking!

Our oncology surgeon isnt even sure if he can do the surgery, and that could mean lots of travel for us to see specialists.There are still so many unknowns, and the bills from just what we have been through so far, have reached over $10,000 out of pocket. I am a 100% disabled Veteran, Total and Permanent, and unemployable. I am unable to even work to earn more money to pay the medical bills that are going to be laying in our lap. Ashley can't work as she is not sleeping well, always uncomfortable, if not in pain, and has responsibilities here (me, her aunt) that keep her from being able to go get a job now, even though she has already stated she needs to.

Ashley is so strong, and her fight with all of this will be as well. Her FAITH in Jesus Christ is stronger than ever! We know that God is in control, has a plan, and we trust His plan. We are asking for donations, not only because of the monetary problems that are arising from this, but also to make awareness of a Rare Disease. We appreciate all prayers we can get and anything you can give to help is VERY APPRECIATED! God bless each person who reads this.

UPDATES

Update #15
September 2, 2023
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Guess I should have done this earlier. I forget all the places I need to update and the thank you’s I need to send out. I’m honestly just tired a lot. But I’m good and we will make it through this with God’s help! 

So, we went to Mayo for 3 weeks for radiation treatments. This is the end of week 2 back home. That was hard. It’s not painful to receive. Uncomfortable, for all of 15 min where you can’t move, but not painful or anything. Then, over time, the skin burns and other things happen inside and it hurts. It has shrunk up some but not like we hoped. Still will continue to radiate for the next couple weeks and right now is supposed to be the worst. 

We will head back the 22nd after our grandsons bday party. I have preop appts and MRI/CT the 25th and then surgery is scheduled for the 27th. Will have to be there probably a total of 3 more weeks for post op appts. We are again scrounging and looking for a place to stay for those 3 weeks. Having PTSD, Paul doesn’t do well with strangers, and staying in someone’s home isn’t his cup of tea (or mine really, especially recovering from surgery). Plus, we have the fur babies (aka service dog). Now, he is thinking a better scenario would be for me to be able to lay in a bed in an RV while driving back and that would give us our place to stay as well, but finding one in a very slim budget will be an act of God, not that I don’t think it will happen. We have been shocked with the blessings we have been given through this whole horrific experience. God always provides! 

Then, it will take a few months before I am really mobile again because we have to keep me safe from any type of infection. Once im past that, I will have probably a year or more of physical therapy retraining my right side to do everything again and building up strength in it again. FUN! 


So , that’s where we are! We appreciate all the love, prayers, and support! Could not do any of this without y’all. Trusting Jesus to get us through every bit of this journey. Please keep praying. My sweet and amazing hubby is going to have to care for me and 2 pups for 2 weeks by himself and pack us up to come back home. I always do all the packing so I have to be creative with what all we bring this time because he will have to pack it back up. Another reason an RV would be ideal. God’s plan🙏🏻❤️

Update #14
July 28, 2023
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So, we traveled to Mayo Rochester and did all the things! Met with the Dr’s who did a good job making me feel safe and at ease. I still don’t like any of this, BUT I have decided I need to get rid of the “what if’s” for my loved ones. They want me to do this and I can’t afford to continue doing it my way, even if I believe my way is God’s way. If I die, I go to heaven and I am more than ok with that, but my family and friends, who have taken the time to state how they feel, are left here sad and without me and THEY deserve me to try every option we can afford (lol we can’t afford anything right now) to stay alive, so that’s what I will do. I don’t like that I can’t do all the things that are good for me, while causing my body harm (radiation for 3 weeks every day and then 4 weeks of it continuing to work, and then surgery), but I will do as they tell me to, just like I did at LifeWorks, and then I will return to LifeWorks to heal my body. I’m starting to believe that maybe God’s plan, as frustrating as it was, was for me to NOT get all 10 weeks worth of treatments in the 10 weeks so that I would have 2 weeks worth of treatments to heal my body from the radiation and surgery. God knew we wouldn’t be able to afford them, so He had me build up my body and left some over for after. Lol Not my plan but His!!! 🙏🏻❤️

Anyway, they want me to start right away on the radiation. Of course, to these Dr’s, I have this very aggressive tumor that I have had for a year now, so it needs to go asap. To me, I’ve had this almost 48 years. It was cut open, which is what made it aggressive (mad) and grew to this size, but it hasn’t grown since Oct and has actually gone down during all the treatments. That, to me, means that it would continue to shrink if I could afford holistic treatments to continue. I know curcumin and Vit C can kill my cancer specifically, just slowly. I know celery juice helps kill off the veins that feed cancer. I know RSO helped and probably could cure it if I could afford more of those treatments but they are about $4000 a session. I don’t see it as much of a threat as they do. I see it all in God’s hands. I see doing what is right for my whole body, as a way to make it go away naturally over time. I don’t have the funds for that (or anything in reality) so I have to go the route that is less financially straining on my family. If God doesn’t want me to have radiation, He can make it shrink at any moment, so I have to do what my loved ones want. They all call this “fighting”. I call it giving in. If I was meant to continue the holistic route, the funds or the treatments would become available. They have not. So, that’s where we are at. Hid is giving me peace about this decision. 

It will cost for us to stay in Rochester the 3 weeks of my radiation. We haven’t found anywhere even remotely affordable. The least expensive option is $40 a night at a Mennonite community. The least expensive hotel/efficiency is $67 a night plus taxes/fees but not sure they have availability. We will have to return for surgery 4 weeks after radiation and don’t know how long we will have to stay for that yet. 

We will drive Sunday and need prayers that our truck not only will make the trek, but that weather will be kind to us since we don’t have AC. 

Anyway, off to try to figure this all out and pack again!!! Thank you all so much for all the prayers and donations. We wouldn’t be where we are without the love and support. We know God is in control. We have given it all to Him and know He will help us the whole way. He gives me peace about my decisions. I trust Him alone! 🙏🏻❤️


Update #13
July 21, 2023
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Thank you so much!!! Because of the last 2 donations, I finally get to go talk to someone who has dealt with this sort of cancer. He is actually the Dr who diagnosed my biopsy. We are headed to Rochester, MN and the Mayo Clinic. I will see Orthopedic Oncology, Plastic surgery, get an MRI, and a CT Scan. They want to operate right away but unless a massive peace comes over me, I’ll be coming home Wednesday or Thursday. I will go with open ears, eyes, and heart. I will pray for discernment and God’s will to be obvious. While I am listening, I have to have my ducks in a row before I am out of commission for any period of time and 3 days prior to leaving doesn’t give me time for that. So, they will have to understand I do things my way and they are lucky I am there because I honestly do NOT trust any of them. I feel most, especially now, are nothing but drug (pill) pushers. So, please keep me in your prayers as we travel and while I meet with this team at Mayo. Pray that they are able to see a difference since my last CT & MRI sand hopefully can talk us about improvements. God’s got this! I trust Him and fear nothing! 🙏🏻❤️ Any and all prayers and donations are so greatly appreciated!!! Every dollar helps. This trip will be probably 4 days. We received buddy pass to fly SouthWest from a friend of my mama so super grateful for that! Praise Jesus!! Will have to find restaurants I can eat at, which won’t be cheap. Lol and pay for a hotel and rent a car. Then, we will have to see about coming back out for the actual surgery and after surgery, if I agree to it, I would like to go back to LifeWorks for an immune system boost with all the treatments I have left there, which would be another week stay in a hotel or something and food. We could drive there so we would have a vehicle. We know God provides! We ask He cover all we will need and trust it will show up right before we need it. Thank you for all the support. We love everyone! ❤️

Update #12
June 28, 2023
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Not much to say other than “Thank You” to those that have donated or prayed for me. Nothing has really changed. Being home is hard. It’s stressful. I’m not getting treatments anymore and we can’t afford for me to go back even every 4 weeks like they want me to. We are sinking quickly. I am applying for jobs and hopefully, God willing, I will be able to get a remote job so I can do it wherever I need to be. 

I am setting up the appts for the referrals I received. The first 3 supposedly have some experience with my cancer. It is VERY difficult to find anyone who has. The Mayo Clinic in MN, a Dr at the University of TN, a Dr at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, and a radiologist in Athens. We shall see what they all say and then make a plan. As you can see, the expenses continue. It’s not just the 30% of the $250 consult. It’s the gas, hotel, eating out, car rental (my mom was able to get us buddy passes to MN on SouthWest), etc. It’s no fun and we can’t afford any of it. My kitchen cabinets are falling apart lol, we gained a child in this process, who has been neglected medically so we are dealing with all that. Our AC doesn’t work in the truck and I’m pretty sure we need tires and rear brakes and rotors. Lol We we’re doing so good. Bought our land, were building the garden, cleaning up the woods, getting a chicken coop and fence were the plans, OUR plans! This was NOT an n our plans! Starting the nonprofit was in our plans and I thought it was the mission God put us on. Possibly starting a wedding and event co was in our plans. Who gets a cancer no matter me has heard of or knows what to do with it? That would be me! Lol So, we got a lot on our plate. Please pray I am able to get a job and we are able to still take baby steps towards starting the nonprofit. Pray these Dr’s can come up with a plan to help me, with minimal damage to my arm/shoulder. Pray our truck holds out till we can afford to fix it. Pray my sweet hubby is able to keep his wits and not completely freak. Pray I don’t keep taking this all to heart. I never wanted to be a financial burden to my family but they all insisted and now, that’s exactly what I am. That is probably the hardest part of all of this. Anyway, Jesus gives me grace every day and I have to also. I know Ge won’t give us more than we can handle, but this sure feel like we are at the absolute breaking point. I fear losing everything so I have to give that to God every day and pray He deliver us out of all of this. I know He will. Anyway, please keep the prayers coming! They are greatly appreciated. Much love to you all❤️🙏🏻

Update #11
May 19, 2023
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This is the part I hate to all of this! I do not like asking for help but since the bills/charges keep coming in and money doesn’t grow on trees even when you have a money plant lol, I have no choice but to ask for help and pray God sends this to the right people who can. 


THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE DONATED! Just received a $100 check and beautiful card from one of my parents dear friends!!! Thank you to all! 


For transparency: I have posted on FB a lot of our payments that have been made. It’s hard to post pics on here. Keep in mind, we paid $2400 just for rent for 10 weeks on top of regular bills, the BIG payments for treatments and testing have been paid on credit/2nd mortgage taken out on mom & dad’s house that we are paying almost $500 a month back on, in addition to what we have put on credit ourselves and what we still own in GA, plus whatever I need after all this like surgery, port removal, continuing treatments, PETSCAN (approx $6000 out of pocket so far), etc. Cancer isn’t as bad as the debt we are in and will be paying for a long time. Again, we accept the cancer, the treatments, and the bills as part of our path God has chosen for us. But I’m not going to lie, not being able to work now, is really hurting us. Being so far from home, with our truck falling apart (only vehicle we have) and having zero ac in it in FL is harsh, and the grocery bills for the diet I am on, is insane!!! All organic, grass fed meats, and specific veggies is pretty much all we get, with some paleo snacks when we can find them. We have gotten creative with free or extremely cheap entertainment. Some military nonprofits have sent us help in the way of groceries, a place to stay the extended 2 weeks we are here, and a lil gas. Mom and dad are coming the 2nd to last week to see us and to bring Gabe for a week of summer vacay so we are excited about that but also saving by not driving home twice in 1 week to get him! Soooo grateful!!! Feel free to continue praying, I need all I can get, even though God already knows!!! Please pass this along to others for their benefits of what I am doing here, as well as for more prayers and any monetary donations. Thank you all for everything! We couldn’t make it through this without God and our village.

Update #10
May 12, 2023
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Had dental appt today where they told me it would be $13k to fix my mouth properly and of course I have zero dental insurance cause the Gov doesn’t offer that to 100% disabled veteran families. Paul should have gone through the medboard process to be discharged, since the Army diagnosed him with PTSD, but nope, they made him skip it and kicked him out for what he was doing to self medicate. The VA gave him 100% and he has gotten upgraded to Honorable, but they won’t acknowledge he should have gotten medically retired. That would have given his family TriCare Insurance. We are still fighting this but it takes years, so we have supplemental insurance that doesn’t pay for any of my treatments or dental work. 

The treatments are going well. I had scar therapy, where they inject needle and a med into all scars on my body. That was fun! I have autoimmune injections every 10-14 days now. They aren’t fun. And VIT D shots. It’s all awful! 

I will share all I am sharing on FB I. The next week, all the bills. We appreciate every single dollar donated as we are completely tapped out and still have 5 weeks to go and who knows what after that, plus the dental work. We are probably very close, if not over, to the $100k. Thank you for all help! 

Update #9
March 25, 2023
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I’ll just have these 2 for now since they only allow 1 per post. Lol ❤️🙏🏻

Update #8
March 25, 2023
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Just want to share some pics of our walks around here. It’s so lovely and peaceful. I’ve been instructed to exercise and get sunshine so we are trying to walk at least 2.5 miles a day and when we can, do it twice a day! There is even a “jungle” we get to walk through that is my favorite place so far. 

Update #7
March 25, 2023
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It has been a minute since we updated. This will probably be long! I’m soooo sorry! I get carried away on FB updating, but forget to come here. Feel free to check out my public album I’m keeping called “The Cancer Chronicles - A Healing Journey”. 

I wanted to take a minute to say thank you to all who have supported us through all of this. Every bit of support is SO important. Notes of kindness and warm wishes, prayers, shares, and financial support are all equally important (prayers are more actually 😘) to us through all of this. Anyone who knows me, knows that I do NOT like asking for help for anything! I will fake it till I make it, before asking for help. I NEED help through this and have already seen how much love and support I have! I am truly humbled and blessed.❤️🙏🏻

As to me, I am ok! I get tired easily, but I just nap. I am eager to begin my treatments but so far we have only handled all the tests needed to assess and attack! We are in Clearwater, FL, where we were blessed to find a host to rent an apartment above her garage for $850 a month so a total of $1940 for the 10 weeks. It isn’t/wasn’t our first pick, as we would much rather have total privacy, but this is what God provided us so we will not complain. He has a plan I am sure and maybe being a witness to our host is all it is, and that is enough. This was about 1/8 of what any other place we could find would have cost us. We had so many beautiful humans working diligently to find somewhere inexpensive for us to stay and we are eternally grateful. A beautiful woman, whom no one in my family knows but was a flight attendant, found this for me. Can you believe God sent an angel like that? Isn’t HE just amazing??? But with those blessings, satan always attacks. We thought it was the fact that she told us we couldn’t bring our 15 yr old son here for spring break. That is crazy but she meant it so we will have to find somewhere to stay when we get him. We thought our adult children and even my parents may be able to visit for a couple days to support me but there isn’t anywhere for them to stay. And to top it all off, the couch in this apartment broke this morning, so we will be trying to see if we can fix it. Just wish I brought my drill, but I do have some tools because I never leave home without them! Lol It is so stupid! The sofa bed was literally nailed and screwed into fiberboard and nothing happened. Paul was sitting in it, I was vacuuming and we heard a noise. I looked and a screw was on the floor. Then, another. We decided not to sit on it anymore and went for a walk. Came back and I forgot and sat. The whole sofa bed hit the floor as the final tiny screw fell out. 😫 Anyway! Lol 

For those that didn’t know, we had already wracked up approximately $20,000 (I need to sit down and compile them all, so we have a real idea) in medical bills prior to coming here, just attempting to get a diagnosis and plan of action. Piedmont has us on a payment plan. The oncology team, I somehow got, was obviously part of God’s plan for me because not 1 of them made me feel comfortable. Not 1 of them seemed to care about what was actually best for me. I never connected with any of them. I felt like my cancer was something they wanted to conquer, their way, but they did not listen to me at all! They blew off everything I said. The surgeon stated he didn’t know how my incision healed, that it shouldn’t have. I told him that I had used frankincense and Doterra ointment on it. He said, “well, I don’t know anything about any of that, but it shouldn’t have healed”. I believe God gave me them so I would run from them to find the path that did fit me! That path was made by who my parents raised me to be and has helped myself and my hubby become the people we have over the past 8 months, growing together with God. This is all part of OUR plan, that only God knows, we are just trying to follow the best we can. Please pray for us to be able to stay on this path, as satan is trying to pull us every direction but. That is our GREATEST request!!!

I am going to include financials. I have to because if God places someone in our path, that has the means to help us, it will only be to glorify God, because it will help us get to where we can run our business and nonprofit quicker, with less financial obstacles. We don’t expect to do this for free. We have accepted our “2nd mortgage” as a trial we will overcome and just a blip in the road, but again, if we don’t put things out there, that person(s) may not know or be able to help. Anything will help. The testing they have done here alone is $9,472. The oral X-ray was $370. My PETscan will cost $1200 and the port being put in will cost $1818. These are the out-of-pocket costs, because ChampVA pays the exact same amount. It is more of a headache for all involved to even try to run it, when we know the bill is just raised higher so the 30% we are required to cover ends up being the same as the “out of pocket” cost. It’s ridiculous! So, this is just the things to get my treatments started! The treatments themselves will cost $47081.73 for the 10weeks and if they decide I really need the low dose chemo, that costs $10-25k depending on how much is needed. They have also stated i may need some radiation, but I said those are last resorts, because I believe Jesus is already healing me and we won’t need those 2. We shall see! I will do what they tell me to do because this is the Dr I believe God lined up to help me heal!! Anyway, we want to be as transparent as possible. I don’t want anyone to think for a second that we are trying to “get rich” or anything! Lol I assure everyone, IF we were to get more than we needed, God will use that in His way, wether it is helping someone else, going back to those who helped us, or going towards our nonprofit. Also, what a horrible way to try to get rich lol! I don’t recommend it! Lol It will not be used for anything that is not pleasing to our Lord! It is sad that I feel this even needs to be said, but unfortunately, society nowadays has made it this way. Anyway, we LOVE you all and appreciate every single human who breathes a positive bit of energy my way. God has got this! I am not afraid!!! Nervous a lil, but I got my armor on so no one can harm me!!! YHWH is good all the time and all the time YHWH is good! ❤️🙏🏻

Update #6
January 17, 2023
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No new news to report really. Going ahead and raising our goal here to $100k. We are almost to 20k in bills to all these drs who haven’t actually done anything yet so we know it’s going to get way higher. Trying to keep it real. Im just searching for that Dr who can help me. Would love to be able to talk to someone who has actually dealt with DFSP FS. That stupid FS makes this cancer a “high grade” vs a low grade tumor. I don’t think that is a good thing but since I don’t really have dr’s telling me anything, idk. I know God has a plan, I just wish He would guide us to the start of that plan. It’s frustrating! Every day is hard, in different ways. Some days I do nothing but cry. Sometimes I know why I’m crying and other times I don’t. Today was a good day. Yesterday was also. I’m very grateful for the good days, even if there is pain. The last surgeon we spoke to stated that when the ER cut my tumor open, it put the cancer cells in my blood. Now, idk if that is true or if the guy was actually a surgeon since he was on the phone, but he wasn’t selling me anything so he didn’t have any reason to scare me. It doesn’t sound good tho. I just wish I could get to a point where there was a plan. The places I want to go for treatment will run approx $80-100k for 6-10 weeks of treatment. Being away from home that long seems impossible. Coming up with that kind of money seems improbable but again we know it’s gonna cost that and more for surgery and all. For quality of life, healing purposes, ability to even have surgery at all because of location and healing, we really feel one of these places in AZ is where I am supposed to go (leaning towards Sedona). Please keep me in your prayers as well as these decisions we will be faced with. Something needs to happen before it gets worse. All I know is “God is good All the time and all the time God is good! 

Update #5
December 22, 2022
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Been updating on FB but forgot to come here. Sorry about that! 

So, we got the results back from the full body scan! No more cancer spots, so that is a “praise God”!!! Hopefully it won’t ever spread or come back once gone, but so far, we are in the clear.

I hate to complain but I’m going to put it all out here. I don’t like my “team”. It’s nothing personal, really. The surgeon wants to operate, i get that, but you don’t get to compromise my care just so you can operate. Sorry! He told us day 1 after diagnosis that I needed a plastic surgeon to sign off on saying it is ok for me to get radiation, if I chose to get it. He said he wanted the plastic surgeon right beside him working with him and they needed to say the skin would be viable for the graphs after radiation. That all changed when they figured out the plastic surgeon he wanted couldn’t operate on me because I don’t have insurance. I don’t know if it’s just this plastic surgeon, but if so, why can’t another surgeon do it. If he only wants to work with this particular plastic surgeon, then why is my care being compromised? I really don’t understand this but now, he isn’t worried about any of it. I don’t like that at all. I may not be able to pay up front and I may not be able to pay what insurance would, but it’s not my fault I don’t have insurance and I will pay my bill eventually! This is so frustrating! Then, I have a medical oncologist who for some reason cancelled my appointment with him twice now, w/o telling me. They cancelled my genetics test and then ordered it again and now 2 weeks later I’m being asked for financial information for the test that I needed the results of 2 weeks ago. Ugh! I don’t think anyone cares at all and I’m in pain all the time which is really hard for me because I have always had such a high tolerance for pain but this pain is like stabbing electrical nerve shocks to different parts of my shoulder, back, armpit. 

So, we continue to search for the place God wants me to get the care I need. I don’t believe anyone on my current “team” has ever dealt with DFSP either. I would love to find someone who has actually already helped heal someone with DFSP holistically. I know God will send the place and then the funds to make it happen. I trust in Him and He will carry me through this. 

I will say the emotional warfare I’m going through is almost worse than the pain. Some days I can’t stop the tears and I don’t know why they are falling. Other days I’m giddy happy for no reason. Then, I’ll have sad days and again, no explanation for why. I’m tired of not being able to eat what I want! I’m tired of seeing foods and not being able to have them. I think it’s my freedom more than anything that it’s hurting. I just don’t see an end in sight. I don’t see this ever not causing pain. The more I look into it, the more I realize I will have the biggest scar on my back, unless this thing starts shrinking. Please pray! I need these things to happen. I need the right team to be sent to us. I need to feel comfortable with them. I need to have a plan and a place to go at least for a week or so to completely jump my body into healing by being in an stress free environment where they give me treatments and vitamins and proper foods, since I stink at taking care of myself. I’ll go without eating sometimes and I know that isn’t good. So, please just pray God will be done for me and my family through all of this. Thank you for your support, love, and for just listening. I’ll be better about journaling here. ❤️🙏🏻

Update #4
November 30, 2022
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How good is God? Yea, he registered or whatever, but we never expected to be chosen by Give, Send, Go to receive 1 of their donations today!!! Thank you so much for helping us out! That was a lovely surprise, almost as lovely as seeing all the personal donations made. Such amazing humans in this world. It warms my heart to know everyone out there is doing what they can for my family. Easing my hubby’s burdens just a little, is HUGE to me! Y’all have no idea how hard this man is working at keeping this house together, keep me sane and in an understanding of what is going on, getting me to appointments and making sure we can afford them when we get there. No we might not be able to get all the treatments or something, but we know whatever I am meant to have done, God will provide. For someone with PTSD and a TBI, God sure has suddenly gifted my hubby patience, unconditional love, and complete understanding. He is my hero, all over again, because I know he is battling his own medical problems to deal with mine and not allow me to see how he is struggling. He’s my best friend and the most amazing human I know and he’s all mine! Thank you Paul Van Drie for all you have done and will do to take care of me. I’m no good at being the patient and not the caregiver so please pray I become better at it. My frustrations get the best of me but at the end of each day, I know God is in control and He has the ultimate playbook. I may not trust the Dr’s but I definitely trust God! Please keep praying for us! We need them all! God bless each and every one who takes the time to read our story, or any story on these pages. Every person here is in some sort of need. God never intended for this earth to be this way. I pray one day soon we will have peace on earth, good will toward man, and complete equality across the world. It’s time for every human to feel equal to each other. No man is above or below another! We are ALL Children of God! 🙏🏻❤️

Please Consider US
November 29, 2022
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#GivingTuesday

Ashley's week
November 18, 2022
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Good morning all, TODAY IS GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY!!! Not only because I want it to be a great day, but because I am starting the day with my new "coffee", Crio Bru and I strongly recommend it. We shall see if it gives the energy of coffee. It tastes great and is a super food so none of the negatives from coffee. Since, I get no sugar, I had to find something I could have that didn't need sugar. Anyway, I just wnated to give a quick update on whats been going on in my little world. We went to see Dr. Griffin (surgical oncologist) on Wednesday and he gave a plan of action. Namely resulting in surgery, but he wants radiation done first to shrink it, if the plastic surgeon he is sending me to approves it. We were sent to a "medical oncologist" Dr. Nik. yesterday (Thursday) and he pretty much came in talking about taking "a pill" to shrink it, but that is isn't chemo. I immediately recognized the name of it from our research, so we told him we wanted to look up this wonder pill. He said of course. We did and as I suspected, it IS chemo. So, now I feel lied to and/or ignored by all Dr's involved. We have told them numerous times that I am holistic and that I will NOT do radiation or chemo. I believe God will heal me with His tools He has given us and His mighty hand and if I need surgery to remove whatever is left over, then thats what the Dr's can do. What I really believe I need is Vit C IV's but at roughly $700 an injection and needing it twice a week for an indefinite amount of time, I just can't see that happening. Maybe if/when ChampVA kicks in but not now, out of pocket. So, I now have a CT Scan of my entire body set up for Nov 28 and I will also be seeing a plastic surgeon and an oncology radiologist. Please pray for my strength, that my voice is heard by these people. They are ignoring my wishes and I'm not sure how to go about getting it through to them that I don't want their chemicals that destroy our bodies.

On a more personal level, this week has been bad. My emotions are all over the place and I can't seem to regulate them much. Bouts of crying that I can't stop. Not sure if I am just overwhelmed, if it's because of the hashimotos I already deal with, or what. I have worked so hard to control my emotions for the most part, so this is really hard on me and makes me feel like my world is falling apart. I know satan is attacking me because I have put all my faith in Jesus, but stopping it is harder than normal. Please pray for me to be able to allow Jesus to not only heal me, but work through me so I can be more of an example of Him through all of this. I know God has a purpose for me in all of this. Please pray we are able to find specialists that can help me without chemo/radiation. Without getting this tumor to shrink, They would have to remove about a quarter of my back. Pray that God uses what I am doing to help shrink this. I am living on Magic Mineral Broth and raw fresh Carrot/Celery juice.Celery is supposed to kill off the veins that feed the tumor so I have accepted drinking a quart a day of this juice I make every morning. So, just keep me in your prayers, but also, if I may ask, could everyone reading this please keep my husband and family in your prayers as well. I don't know what this is doing to them, but I know it is effecting everyone, so I need them to all be surrounded in God's love and comfort.I am ok with whatever happens to me. I may have a huge scar or there is the possibility of me going to be with Jesus. My family needs support just as much as I do, especially my sweet and amazing husband who has literally tried taking on the world for me. I will never be abble to thank him or all of you for all you have done for us. God bless you all! 

11/14 UPDATE
November 14, 2022
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We received a call from Dr Griffin at Piedmont (Oncologist) to schedule an appointment for the Wednesday morning to discuss steps. They have received the full report from MAYO and we will discuss those while we are there as well. Im doing all i can do on my end using oils, eating raw/clean, taking supplements, resting, etc. It doesn’t seem to be getting smaller but its also not getting bigger, as far as we can tell. Pain isn’t too bad today so far. Pray! Please! We know God will be in the room, at ALL times. He is our strength. We will update once we know more. Thank you. God bless! 

PRAYER REQUESTS

  • Pray for complete healing, because I don’t have any other options.
  • Pray for growth in Jesus, for Paul and I.
  • Pray for us and having our daughter preterm to us after 3 years of being kept away. She is with us here in FL
  • Pray for financial help to get this all taken care of so my body is healed. We still need the funds for all my dental.