If Not Now, When? A Video By A Friend Of Mine Who Is Dying

[4588686]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X73qA-Q8_Qk&feature=player_embedded#!

 

 

 

Background
Laura was born and raised until adolescence in Colombia, South America.  Her mother Erika recounts beautiful stories about Laura’s protective nature as big sister to little brother Jacobo (Jacob) starting from a very young age. Not much has changed since then. The family immigrated to the U.S. when Laura was 13 seeking an escape from the violence in her hometown and a chance for a better life. Within the next five years, Laura mastered English, excelled in high school, and won the Morehead-Cain Scholarship—the oldest and most prestigious merit-based scholarship in the nation. Laura continues to be an inspiration to her family, her peers, her university, and her extended community.

Illness
In the summer of 2011, Laura led a service trip to the Azores Islands. It was there she began experiencing significant pain. Unwilling to let her physical circumstances impede her goals for the summer, she went on to intern for a full six weeks until doctors forced her to return home to tend to her health. Since returning to the US, she has been diagnosed with a very rare form cancer—stage IV Metastatic Rhabdomyosarcoma.She subsequently received various treatments from UNC Hospitals, and her cancer went into remission briefly. Laura’s medical bills totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars and have been managed as a charity case by UNC Hospitals. 

Update

As many of you know, treatment therapies have not stopped the cancer's progression. She completed the last of her palliativeradiation treatments and does not plan to undergo further treatment outside of some alternative therapies to minimize pain and maximize her energy. Last week, Laura’s physician advised her to share with her family her wishes regarding her end of life care. He advised that she do that now while she is able and in anticipation of the cancer spreading from her soft tissue and bones to her organs. Laura is now receiving hospice care at her home. Remaining at home surrounded by her loving family is something very important to her. Understandably, she prefers to have her mother with her to manage to her care. Erika’s fellow co-workers and supervisors at UNC Hospitals are donating some of their “paid time off” to help make this possible—a very generous act. However, that benefit will soon run short.

How you can help...
There are financial implications on Laura’s family created by the increasing level of medical care she needs. Laura also knows that her family will continue to face challenges rebuilding their lives after she’s gone. Knowing that her mother and brother are financially secure would bring Laura immeasurable peace of mind.

http://www.youcaring.com/other/Cheerful-Motivated-Resilient-and-so-full-of-Life-/45496

[Evangetholic]

Very...inspiring is overused, but yes, inspiring. Thank you for this Hasan.

[franciscanheart]

Thanks for sharing, Hassan. Your friend, Laura, her family and all those who care about her are in my heart.

[4588686]

Thanks for sharing, Hassan. Your friend, Laura, her family and all those who care about her are in my heart.

Thank you.  Another friend of mine was in the Azores with her when this happened and was the one who told me about it.  Very shocking since she is an incredibly vibrant person.  Laura and I were never very close friends but we have known each other for a while and I've always respected her a great deal.  She looks much better in that video than when I last saw her in the hospital and people were hopeful when she went into remission.  Everybody thought it as going to be terminal back when it first happened.  When the cancer went into remission I think that everybody thought she was going to beat the odds.  That seemed fitting since she is, as I said, just an extraordinarily vibrant and dynamic person.  Unfortunately that victory was short lived.  

[4588686]

I the hospital they gave her a lot of blood transfusions which apparently made her feel a lot better.  She got a kick out of joking about her vampiristic craving for fresh blood.  

[4588686]

I'd also like to point out that it is really just disgusting that her family is having to basically beg people for money so they aren't wiped out by debt from the massive sums that her treatment is costing. This is the second time in a year that I've seen a family seriously threatened by crushing debt by a young adult in their family due to cancer treatment. The other instance was Bosnia. At least Bosnia has the excuse of being a developing and poor state. I haven't the slightest idea what excuse America has for this being something her family has to deal with. I've only met her family twice but they seem like really nice people and its so awful that they're losing their daughter and sister and having to worry about serious debt after. Her deteriorating condition isn't anyone's fault. The debt that they are facing is an avoidable and public failing.


That is the last policy related thing that I would say here. But this stuff has a human face. It's just not right that she has to weight how much she wants to live as long as possible with how much debt she wants to worry about her family getting weighed down with. That's just really vile. And it's not a necessary tragedy of human existence.

Edited March 11, 2013 by Hasan

[Seven77]

Very inspiring indeed… I just posted Laura's story to my Facebook wall.  What a courageous girl.