Hi,
My name is Azure-Dee and at the age of 27 I was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer called Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma. This specific type of cancer is found in every 1 in 2 million individuals, the age of 40 and up. I’ve always been told I was one of a kind, but who would have known I was actually 1 in 2 million.
My story began in 2016, the year I married the man of dreams. Young and in love; we decided to tie the knot and live out our happily ever after. We had plans for our future, these plans consisted of a beautiful house up north, and starting a family. While the thought of starting a family excited my husband and I, it seems as if life had a different journey for me.
September 21, 2016: I developed an allergy to nuts; which again at my age is a rare occurrence. I started gaining weight and experiencing pregnancy symptoms. I figured it would be best to take an at home pregnancy test. After multiple attempts, each test came back negative. Puzzled and slightly disappointed, I decided the next step was to visit the doctor’s office. My doctor had done every test you could possibly think of—everything came back normal. Thinking nothing of it I continued on living my life as a newlywed. With big dreams and high hope for a better future, I enrolled in school. I began my first semester of ‘Early Childhood Education’ at Seneca College. I am passionate about educating today’s children and providing them with the basic essentials for a better and brighter tomorrow. My long-term goal is to become a teacher and contribute to our little leaders of the future.
By some miraculous miracle I manage to not only excel in all of my classes but, I also manage to sustain two part-time jobs. With the seasons changing my commute on the bus back and forth between school, work and home really became stressful.
Optimistic and focus, everything seemed to be heading in the right direction. April came along and I had acquired a position in a daycare not far from home. I was excited to begin working and really establishing a genuine connection with the children and my fellow co-workers. However, I could not shake the feeling that something was wrong; I simply just did not feel like myself.
In April I went back to the doctors and done some more test which at this point they came back abnormal. I was asked to do an ultrasound to further investigate the abnormality, that is when we found a 5.5-inch mass on my adrenal gland. It had literally swallowed my gland. From here everything went downhill. I went through a month of pain and discomfort. I finally decided to check myself into the hospital. All the testing thus far simply just wasn’t enough. I had been scheduled to do CT scans, multiple MRI’s and biopsies. At last the doctors had concluded that the mass was a cancerous tumor that spread to my liver. Processing the information, I began to burst into tears. Back and forth in my head I questioning what I had done wrong leading up to this moment.
The pain continued, day by day it got worse. Finally it got to the point where I was unable to go to work. Between the doctor’s appointments and the hospital visits, my husband had to take a lot of time away from work. Money began to become a problem, due to the fact that he is self-employed. With every appointment he has had to cancel, the less he was able to make enough money to sustain our household. With one income, and a ton of bills we began struggling.
It was not long before I had started my chemo therapy, and began losing large sums of hair. In multiple attempts to save my life, my friends and family began researching treatments that were proven effective within cancer patients. However, many of these treatments are very expensive. My husband and I cannot afford to pay for these treatments while keeping a roof over our head. I was hesitant on telling my story, in fear that it would make me seem weak and vulnerable. But I chose to tell my story to let those who are going through the same situation know they are not alone. I chose to not let my condition define me as an individual, and I intend on fighting and beating this cancer! No longer will I allow myself to feel hopeless, powerless and sorry for myself. I refuse to let cancer rule my life! Keeping a positive mindset and taking one day at a time is what helps me get up every morning thus far. I put my trust in a higher power that there is someone out there who will stumble upon my story. I trust that someone out there will be kind enough to open their heart just enough to donate whatever they can to help me seek the proper treatment needed to cure me of this horrendous disease.
We are grateful to have such a wonderful healthcare system that contributes to the cause, however a lot of medication I require is not covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. My husband and I have used all of our saving to keep up with the cost of medication, and we would be ever so grateful for any donation to my cause.
With all the horrible news we have endure thus far in the year, we are really putting our trust in our friends, family and community to help us in our time of need.
None the less, I would like to thank everyone in advance for their donation and for allowing me to share my story. I hope my story inspires those who are going through the same situation to find it in themselves to tell their story too.
We are strong, we are fearless and with your help I am certain that I WILL beat cancer!
