Goal:
USD $50,000
Raised:
USD $32,121
Campaign funds will be received by Misty Adams
(If you are new to Misty’s story, please scroll down to Update #1. Thank you.)
Update on December 3rd:
On December 20th, Misty will be undergoing an esophagectomy at Mayo Clinic. It will be a long, slow recovery. Let’s support the Adams family as they pursue this path toward Misty’s complete healing!
Wonderful update from Justin on November 26th!
“The scopes showed lots of good news.
There are two options on the table — removing the stent and removing the esophagus.
The surgeon thinks that if only the stent is removed, the esophagus would still need to be removed at some point in the future, and that esophagectomy is a better route, albeit invasive and very complicated in Misty’s case.
Both options are complicated and present numerous potential difficulties. But the good news is that there are options, and there very much appears to be a way forward.”
~*~
“We must not be content to see things as they are. We must have the vision, faith, and hope to see what things can and must become.” - Sister Generose Gervaia
I (Jolina) saw the above quote yesterday while visiting Misty at Mayo Clinic and thought it was so appropriate for Misty’s case. After a team of “specialists” in Nashville wrote her case off as hopeless, a surgeon and his team at Mayo believe they can see a way through!
Please continue to pray for the Misty Adams family and financially support them as they prepare for surgery at Mayo Clinic around the Christmas season!
~*~
Dear mutual friends,
The Misty and Justin Adams family could use our help. On Wednesday, October 30, Justin took Misty to the ER with respiratory problems, which are a direct side effect of the stent that was urgently placed in February following an esophageal perforation during dilation.
Bloodwork showed an elevated white count. An MRI showed that she has a spinal infection in her T1 and T2 vertebrae.
After this discovery, she was moved to the ICU. They are actively using antibiotics to treat the infection, but two days ago Misty and Justin received the excruciating news that there is nothing more doctors (at that hospital) can do as it’s not the esophageal cancer but the emergency stent itself that is putting pressure on her spine and trachea.
Yesterday morning, when I spoke to Justin, I went outside and wailed on the front porch. Audrey Graber, a mutual friend who lives in Georgia, picked me up two hours later, and we drove to the hospital while unsure if we were preparing ourselves to say goodbye.
After we made it to the ICU in Nashville, we hugged Justin, who soon left to pray in the chapel with a pastor, and then I asked Misty if I could climb into bed with her. She nodded, so I carefully climbed in beside her and rested my head on her arm. Audrey and the precious pastor’s wife touched our feet and prayed.
After a few minutes, Audrey asked Misty if she had any thoughts.
She replied, “I am not done fighting; I just need to find a doctor who is willing to fight for me.”
Hearing those words directly from the mouth of my best friend did a complete 180 for my thought process and heart.
If she was not finished fighting, then we weren’t finished fighting either!
This, my friends, is where you come in!
In short, we need to find the best thoracic (or, from what I have read, gastrointestinal) surgeon in the country who has a cutting-edge, innovative approach for removing esophageal stents and repairing a torn esophagus.
Again, it is not the cancer itself that is placing pressure on her spine and trachea, but the stent. It needs to come out!
Misty wants to keep fighting, so we will fight alongside her through prayer and by trying to find the best doctor possible who isn’t afraid to tackle what others say is impossible.
As Misty’s favorite movie is Braveheart, and she has a Claymore sword that has been meaningful in her journey thus far, we mentally lift it for her now and cry, “FREEDOM!!!”
Jolina
(I took the banner picture of Misty on a trip to Scotland in 2011, during which she wrote out “Freedom” with stones to celebrate her successful bone marrow transplant, so I felt like it was very appropriate.)
Update #1
I met my best friend Misty when I was two years old, and because I grew up between brothers, she is the closest thing to a sister I have. I honestly don’t know how to sum up the past thirty-five years of friendship into a neat package that will compel support. But I will tell you this: I wouldn’t be who I am today if not for her. She challenged me to stay on the straight and narrow when I was in my turbulent teenage years and could have easily veered off course.
Her life has been a gift to me, and I cannot type that without having to stop and swallow and clear the tears from my eyes. If you are reading this because you have met her, then your life has been changed because of who she is. If you are reading this because you have met me, then you have more than likely heard about her. Misty is compassionate, creative, intelligent, loyal, witty, and patient (I should know: she taught me how to color inside the lines, swim, and braid hair).
I am organizing this fundraiser because right now Misty, her husband Justin, and their foster daughter could use our support. Weeks after her mother's death, Misty was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, which is more than likely a side effect of the intense radiation she received in her twenties to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Because of her health history, treatment plans are limited, and Misty is diligently applying a keto diet and taking supplements as well as meeting with doctors to determine the best course of action. Justin is thankfully able to be by her side, but being by her side means he is also having to take off from work as an English teacher and has had to step away from an adjunct teaching position at his alma mater.
My goal for this fundraiser is to help ease their financial burden, so the Adams family can solely focus on Misty’s health. I have set the fundraiser at $50,000, which would cover what Justin cannot make through his adjunct teaching position this year. It would also help pay for a hyperbaric oxygen chamber that has been scientifically proven to heal hard-to-reach wounds and would increase her food intake. It would also help cover the supplements she is taking, and the cost of transportation to and from the hospital for treatment. Any amount helps. Also, as a way of encouraging Misty, when you donate, please share how she has touched your life.
Thank you for reading, caring, and, above all, interceding on Misty’s behalf.
Jolina Petersheim
"Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, 'Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.'” Luke 8:50
We are praying. Nothing is impossible with God. (We are friends with Adam and Melody Callis).
God bless your family!
Praying for you, Misty!
I don't know this family but I do know from personal experience that prayer is a powerful thing. Many prayers for healing & God's glory to be seen in you.
40 tickets
Sending much love your way durning this time. Take Heart and Be Courageous. You are all oh so loved.
Prayers for you all during this time. Praying for a speedy recovery!
Lifting y’all up in prayer.
Praying for you Misty in the days ahead. I will also pray for your family and the medical staff taking care of you.
My dad had esophageal cancer. Prayers for successful surgery and complete healing.
Praying for healing.
My deepest prayers are for Misty to have a successful surgery and a return to health. She has suffered so much and needs this relief so much. Love and hugs to Misty and Justin!
Praying for you and your precious family!
We are praying daily.
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