Mar 8, 2013
Spring 2013
March 8, 2013
Hello again everyone! So sorry it took so long to update you again on how Tori is doing. Life just seems to get busier and busier as the months fly by.
Tori had her most recent MRI last month and it did not show any change in the tumor. We are taking this as a good sign and hoping that it means that the radiation has stopped the cells from reproducing.
Her symptoms of headache, nausea, & vomiting seem to continue to very slowly subside and she is not nearly as worn down as she was a couple months ago. She has also regained enough endurance and strength to increase her work hours. She still has her days when she is not well but they are happening a little less often. She also still struggles a bit with fatigue and is not well enough to run around too much or she wears herself down. She also has days, understandably so, when she is sad or frustrated, but she mostly handles herself with a sturdy exterior poise and nobody on the outside would know that she is still recovering.
She likes her new job at Starbucks although she did struggle at first when she was still having more issues with the nausea and vomiting. But the job has been a good change for her and I am really happy to see her in a place where she can blossom and succeed. I think this is a really good fit for her and could end up being a stable career where she can make pretty good money and get some fabulous benefits.
In addition, she is still continuing to eat healthy and exercise. She is currently on a dairy free diet. She is doing this as a test to see if it reduces her episodes of nausea and vomiting. If we can just figure out what is causing that, it would be a major improvement in her quality of life. Only time will tell if it works.
Unfortunately, the day before yesterday she nearly passed out again and now she is trying to let her body catch up from that episode. We are still trying to figure out how to control those episodes as well.
She is not scheduled for another brain check until June, so until then we just hope to learn how to manage her health better so that she can keep working and enjoy life instead of feeling like she is just trying to keep her head above water. We are very hopeful.
Once again, we love you all and thank you for all your love & support.
Tracy Collins
Jan 13, 2013
We are closing out the PO BOX
Over the past two months, Tori has been having good days and bad. She has about maybe 5 good days out of each week but she is still extremely tired all the time and sleeps most of the day and night. Just a little bit of activity completely wipes her out and she goes to bed every night at about 7pm.
She has had some episodes of vomiting again and so she will be getting an upper GI scope next week to see what is going on in that tummy of hers. She has also started to have a few headaches again, which sometimes put her down for the day, but atleast she is not having them everyday. When she does have good days we consider them precious.
Neil has been a great help to us all, sometimes coming over to stay with Tori or taking care of her at his house, so that we don't have to miss too much work. He takes very good care of her and we are thankful.
Tori's doctor has again reduced her work schedule to only 24 hours a week until she begins to feel better. She has another MRI in February to see how the tumor is responding to the radiation.
She got a new job at Starbucks as a shift manager, which is a step up in the world...she gets some benefits, a pay raise, and a less stressful atmosphere to work in, which I think she really needs right now. I am excited for her. She starts next week after her Upper GI scope.
Please note that since donations have slowed down, we are closing out the PO BOX. If you would like to donate, you can send it directly to Tori here at our home address, which is:
26103 Six Points Road
Sheridan IN 46069
Other than that there is not much to report. Thanks again for all your prayers and support. We love you all.
Other than that there is not much to report. Thanks again for all your prayers and support. We love you all.
Tracy Collins
Dec 9, 2012
TENACITY
Well, we have been on quite a roller coaster lately. It has been an exhausting week.
For the past 2 or 3 weeks Tori has been feeling much better in terms of no nausea or headaches and it has almost seemed like she was getting alot better. Then she started getting more and more tired and worn out everyday and requiring alot more sleep. Then last Tuesday she passed out at work and when we took her to the doctor, he said she is pushing herself too hard. He says that she is physically exhausted from the radiation and has to be very careful not to overdo it. He gave her 4 days off work and put her on a 30 hour work week restriction with no more than 6 hours of work per day. Then on Thursday she had her first follow-up MRI and a follow up appointment with her neurosurgeon which took the whole day. And then on Friday she had another follow up with her radiation oncologist in Bloomington, which also took the whole day. So now she is even more exhausted. Poor girl!
The MRI shows no change in the tumor area except for some slight swelling & a little bit of irritation. Both doctors seem to be positive about the fact that the tumor has not grown at all and they say that this possibly could mean that we have stopped the tumor from being able to reproduce its cells. And in fact, if we have stopped it from growing, we have been successful. The oncologist said that if it were a high grade tumor it would have basically ignored the radiation and continued growing. So we are encouraged by the fact that it is not any bigger. Also, while neither of them can say why Tori's headaches and nausea have subsided, even though the tumor is the same size, they do consider this a positive sign.
Although the doctors are giving us no reason to be discouraged, it has been very difficult emotionally not to have more dramatic news. What we want to hear is that the tumor is gone or almost gone and the radiation has worked! ... YAY! Time to celebrate!... But both doctors have told us that it will take time to know the full effects of the radiation. Overall, I guess this is going to be a much longer process than what we had anticipated. In fact, it could be up to a year before we can actually tell for sure what the radiation has done for her. As much as we hate it, right now we just have to wait. There is no reason to pursue another form of treatment at this time because the tumor is not growing.
What Tori needs now is just plain old tenacity. She is feeling very tired emotionally, physically, and mentally and has days when she just feels like giving up. So we are trying to keep her encouraged and trying to make sure she gets enough rest so that she will have the energy to keep fighting this battle. I recently made her go buy a massage package to help in this area; in addition, she is still getting some exercise on a regular basis.
I bought her some amino acid protein powder to help give her a boost of energy and to help her hair grow back. Both Doctors say that we need to wait a little longer for hair regrowth....although there are just a few tiny little hairs growing there around the edge. This is, I think, what bothers Tori the most, of all the things she is going through. So we hope to see some more hair regrowth soon.
The Doctors did say that we should expect for Tori to have some possible increased symptoms of nasuea, exhaustion, headaches, & tiredness as the tumor cells may begin to die off over the next few months. Since this may cause even more swelling in the brain she may even experience some right sided weakness again. If this happens they have told us NOT to assume that the tumor is growing back, but instead to assume that the tumor is dying off. If this does happen, they may end up putting her on a steroid again in order to keep the brain from swelling too much and to prevent any seizure activity.
I guess that is where we are at for now. She will be getting another MRI in 3 months. When we have more new information, we will do another update. Thank you again to everyone for their support, love, and prayers. We love you all.
Nov 11, 2012
Our last name should have been Boring
From Tracy:
Well, here we are, back in the full swing of things in the most boring house in America. Lets see....Hmmmmm....We just don't really have much to report right now.
Tori seems to be doing very well. She has returned to her job at Dunkin Donuts with very few headaches and virtually no nausea for the past 10 to 14 days (knock on wood) and seems to be recovering quite quickly. She is still very tired most of the time (partly from going back to work & partly from the radiation) but she seems to be sleeping a little better at night. She has been RE-offered a Shift manager position and is very excited to start ordering people around! We are very very proud of her! She gets to sit in on her first manager meeting this week and starts training next week. You go girl!
Rob & I are back to our regular work schedules again too and continuing our painstaking bathroom remodel (which is about to drive Rob right over the edge), but he is slowly making progress on it. I will be glad when it gets to a point where I can actually help with some things. Other than that, our lives are pretty boring, which I guess is kinda good, in a way.
Tori has some labs coming up so we should be posting those results toward the end of the month. Thanks again for all your support and encouragement!
This photo was taken of Tori a year or so ago. My sister made her wear the tiara for her birthday and pose for a picture...see how happy she is about it with the "I'm annoyed but I'll go along with it" smile? Haha!
Queen of all she surveys: Coffee-potion brewing, donut wrestling, sandwich slapping, employee "education", language accent appreciation department, grammar corrections officer....oh yeah, and administration of customer "churchiness". Go get 'em Tori!
Well, here we are, back in the full swing of things in the most boring house in America. Lets see....Hmmmmm....We just don't really have much to report right now.
Tori seems to be doing very well. She has returned to her job at Dunkin Donuts with very few headaches and virtually no nausea for the past 10 to 14 days (knock on wood) and seems to be recovering quite quickly. She is still very tired most of the time (partly from going back to work & partly from the radiation) but she seems to be sleeping a little better at night. She has been RE-offered a Shift manager position and is very excited to start ordering people around! We are very very proud of her! She gets to sit in on her first manager meeting this week and starts training next week. You go girl!
Rob & I are back to our regular work schedules again too and continuing our painstaking bathroom remodel (which is about to drive Rob right over the edge), but he is slowly making progress on it. I will be glad when it gets to a point where I can actually help with some things. Other than that, our lives are pretty boring, which I guess is kinda good, in a way.
Tori has some labs coming up so we should be posting those results toward the end of the month. Thanks again for all your support and encouragement!
This photo was taken of Tori a year or so ago. My sister made her wear the tiara for her birthday and pose for a picture...see how happy she is about it with the "I'm annoyed but I'll go along with it" smile? Haha!
Oct 30, 2012
There is no place like Home!
Well, Tori is now finished with her proton beam therapy. It is good to have our family all together again and to be sleeping in our own beds every night. Boo Boo, our little yorkie poo, is very excited to have us all back home as well. We are all still trying to catch up on our rest and get back in the groove of working our regular schedules again. Getting back to normal life is kinda hard because now we are not actively doing anything about her health, we are in a holding pattern again for a while. But from what I understand, the radiation will keep doing it's work for another 6 weeks or so.
Tori has several follow-up appts that will keep her hopping: She will have 5 labs done on Nov. 26, will see her GP on Nov. 29, will have an MRI and see her neurosurgeon on Dec. 6, and then will go back to see the radiation oncologist shortly after that. We will keep you updated with any results as we are informed.
Tori has been feeling pretty good since we moved back home with very little nausea and no headaches at all. She was even able to run 3 miles yesterday!! She is working very hard to keep all her function and not let the radiation take her strength from her. The only side effects that she seems to be struggling with right now is being sleepy all the time (from the trauma to the brain) and some emotional "craze" (from the medication). She begins to wean off of the steroid today. It should take about two weeks for that process to finish if all goes well and she does not begin having headaches again. Hopefully she will start feeling even better after she comes off of this medication.
Since the insurance has now kicked in, the Proton Beam Center has refunded the balance of the money that was originally loaned to Tori for her treatments. They paid it directly back to the family who loaned her the money and this was a huge relief to us all. Even though she still needs to pay them back for the portion that the insurance did not pay, we feel like a weight is lifted from our shoulders. She will be able to use your donations to cover this portion and she will still have money left over for some of her future medical expenses. Once again, we want to say thank you to everyone for their support. You have blessed us all beyond belief!
If you would like to donate to help Tori with her future medical costs, please make checks payable to:
Victoria Collins and send to: PO BOX 25
Sheridan IN 46069 Or click HERE to donate online
This is a picture of Tori when she was in Junior High. She was taking riding lessons at this farm (in California) and the foal here would make this funny face, sporting his cute little baby teeth, every time she scratched his back. At this same farm there were 2 chickens that played tether ball (its really true!) and a Llama that tried to "be your friend" by licking your lips. It was always alot of fun to go there. Great memories!
Oct 23, 2012
Teenage Hormones on Crack
Well, we only have one more week of treatments left. Whew! Almost done! Tori has been feeling somewhat better over the past week with less nausea & not as many headaches. I don't think she has vomited even once this week & the steroids seem to be helping the right sided weakness too! She has a really good heel strike on the right side and her balance has improved quite a bit from two weeks ago. She even was able to do a 1.5 mile run a couple days ago, so it seems that she is getting better!
In the meantime, she does have one side effect that is quite dramatic: the steroids are making her have EXTREME mood swings. Now those of you who know Tori are saying to yourselves, "Oh yeah, I have seen her that way before." But let me say that these are not just the normal teenage mood swings, these are TEENAGE-HORMONES-ON-CRACK MOOD SWINGS! Ha ha! BLESS HER HEART...she is crying one second and laughing the next, then she gets mad for no reason at all, and then goes back to laughing again. I do have to laugh about it though, because it is quite entertaining. (We will see if her boyfriend, Neil, thinks its funny after a couple more weeks! Ha Ha! I wouldn't wanna be him right now. Hee hee.)
Anyway, she is really looking forward to getting back to work. I am really looking forward to not having 2 homes to clean and 2 homes to fill with groceries, etc... However, we are going to miss Bloomington very much. It is just a gorgeous fall season here and all the colors are bright and the smell of the leaves in the air is wonderful. Today I took her and Neil out to one of the trails here and we took some pictures (see below). I have to say that they do make a very sweet couple!
The insurance payments have finally come through! The insurance is actually covering all of the proton beam costs except for about four thousand dollars. This is great news because now Tori will have some of the donation money left over to pay for her remaining/future healthcare costs. She will have to go back on a regular basis for MRIs (starting in 6 weeks) to see how the radiation has worked and to make sure the tumor cells are not growing. The doctor has made it quite clear to us that this is probably not a permanent solution, and that Tori will probably have some more significant medical costs over the next decade of her life. Hopefully, if or when it does start to grow back, there will be an actual cure available for her to utilize.
Thank you once again to all who have so generously given of themselves and their finances to help. We continue to be amazed and deeply touched by everyone's compassion and support. If you would like to donate to help Tori with these costs, please make checks payable to:
Victoria Collins and send to:
PO BOX 25
Sheridan IN 46069 Or click HERE to donate online
"We have peace with God and, by faith, we have full access to His grace, in which we stand. Therefore, we daily rejoice in His love. And we also take pride in tribulations, knowing that tribulations work patience, and patience works experience, and experience works hope. And the hope we have in God does not disappoint us because we are fully assured of His love that has been shed abroad in our hearts." Romans 5:1-5
In the meantime, she does have one side effect that is quite dramatic: the steroids are making her have EXTREME mood swings. Now those of you who know Tori are saying to yourselves, "Oh yeah, I have seen her that way before." But let me say that these are not just the normal teenage mood swings, these are TEENAGE-HORMONES-ON-CRACK MOOD SWINGS! Ha ha! BLESS HER HEART...she is crying one second and laughing the next, then she gets mad for no reason at all, and then goes back to laughing again. I do have to laugh about it though, because it is quite entertaining. (We will see if her boyfriend, Neil, thinks its funny after a couple more weeks! Ha Ha! I wouldn't wanna be him right now. Hee hee.)
Anyway, she is really looking forward to getting back to work. I am really looking forward to not having 2 homes to clean and 2 homes to fill with groceries, etc... However, we are going to miss Bloomington very much. It is just a gorgeous fall season here and all the colors are bright and the smell of the leaves in the air is wonderful. Today I took her and Neil out to one of the trails here and we took some pictures (see below). I have to say that they do make a very sweet couple!
The insurance payments have finally come through! The insurance is actually covering all of the proton beam costs except for about four thousand dollars. This is great news because now Tori will have some of the donation money left over to pay for her remaining/future healthcare costs. She will have to go back on a regular basis for MRIs (starting in 6 weeks) to see how the radiation has worked and to make sure the tumor cells are not growing. The doctor has made it quite clear to us that this is probably not a permanent solution, and that Tori will probably have some more significant medical costs over the next decade of her life. Hopefully, if or when it does start to grow back, there will be an actual cure available for her to utilize.
Thank you once again to all who have so generously given of themselves and their finances to help. We continue to be amazed and deeply touched by everyone's compassion and support. If you would like to donate to help Tori with these costs, please make checks payable to:
Victoria Collins and send to:
PO BOX 25
Sheridan IN 46069 Or click HERE to donate online
Oct 15, 2012
Tori, the Giant Slayer
A Post From Tori's mom:
Well, we only have a couple weeks of treatments left. Needless to say, we are all worn out. This has been a very hectic process but we are keeping our outlook positive and trying to relax for a few minutes whenever we can. Rob & I have been trading off days each week so that at least one of us is with her all the time and then we work all the other days of the week. Tori's boyfriend, Neil, has also been coming down to Bloomington on his days off and going with us to her treatments.
Tori is just completely exhausted and still battles constant nausea & some vomiting, but she continues to amaze us all with her tenacity and gracious attitude as she is in the process of slaying this giant before her. She has also recently developed a bit of right sided weakness & right sided neglect which has affected her balance and caused her to take a couple small spills. So we started doing some therapy to address those issues and her doctor has started her on some steroids to help decrease any swelling in the brain that might be contributing to these problems. The steroids have made her a little more energetic (and talkative!). She was even able to do some low key training with me the other day, successfully running and walking short intervals on a beautiful trail near our accommodations ...and I hate to say it, but she is actually still in better shape than I am!
It is hard to live a normal life while having treatments five days a week, but Tori was able to work one day last weekend. She was going to try to work today too (before leaving for Bloomington), but she just woke up too sick to do it. So, as you can see, there are good days and bad...but she just keeps plugging away. We have days of tears and days of sadness, but mostly we just keep focused on the task at hand: getting through the Proton Beam Radiation.
We are still awaiting word from the insurance company about the exact amount that they are going to pay and what we will owe. They said it could be another 3 weeks before we know anything for sure.
Thank you again to all who are supporting us with prayers, finances, encouragement, and good thoughts. We appreciate and love you all. Here is a cute picture of Tori doing a dance of celebration over her new hat that she got last week.
Tracy Collins
Romans 8:18 "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed in us."
click HERE to donate
Well, we only have a couple weeks of treatments left. Needless to say, we are all worn out. This has been a very hectic process but we are keeping our outlook positive and trying to relax for a few minutes whenever we can. Rob & I have been trading off days each week so that at least one of us is with her all the time and then we work all the other days of the week. Tori's boyfriend, Neil, has also been coming down to Bloomington on his days off and going with us to her treatments.
Tori is just completely exhausted and still battles constant nausea & some vomiting, but she continues to amaze us all with her tenacity and gracious attitude as she is in the process of slaying this giant before her. She has also recently developed a bit of right sided weakness & right sided neglect which has affected her balance and caused her to take a couple small spills. So we started doing some therapy to address those issues and her doctor has started her on some steroids to help decrease any swelling in the brain that might be contributing to these problems. The steroids have made her a little more energetic (and talkative!). She was even able to do some low key training with me the other day, successfully running and walking short intervals on a beautiful trail near our accommodations ...and I hate to say it, but she is actually still in better shape than I am!
It is hard to live a normal life while having treatments five days a week, but Tori was able to work one day last weekend. She was going to try to work today too (before leaving for Bloomington), but she just woke up too sick to do it. So, as you can see, there are good days and bad...but she just keeps plugging away. We have days of tears and days of sadness, but mostly we just keep focused on the task at hand: getting through the Proton Beam Radiation.
We are still awaiting word from the insurance company about the exact amount that they are going to pay and what we will owe. They said it could be another 3 weeks before we know anything for sure.
Thank you again to all who are supporting us with prayers, finances, encouragement, and good thoughts. We appreciate and love you all. Here is a cute picture of Tori doing a dance of celebration over her new hat that she got last week.
Tracy Collins
click HERE to donate
Oct 10, 2012
Going Bald!
Hello everyone! This is Tori. Since my last post my hair has been falling out a lot and I now have a big bald spot that I cover up with hats. But that's okay because I look pretty good in hats! And it's getting cold here in Indiana so it's hat season anyway. At least I have that working in my favor!
Treatments are going well. This week I have had all morning appointments which is pretty nice because then I have the rest of the day to do fun stuff! I am loving Bloomington so so much.
Generally I am feeling well. I woke up with a bad headache today but it went away in a few hours. That's about all the news I have! Thanks again for your support.
Treatments are going well. This week I have had all morning appointments which is pretty nice because then I have the rest of the day to do fun stuff! I am loving Bloomington so so much.
Generally I am feeling well. I woke up with a bad headache today but it went away in a few hours. That's about all the news I have! Thanks again for your support.
Oct 4, 2012
Tori Here...
Hello everybody! Tori here. I realize I haven't posted in a while and I apologize. It's been a little hectic! I am now in my third full week of treatments. It's all going pretty smoothly. I'm still nauseous a lot but I hardly have any headaches anymore and my hair has not fallen out so far! And we LOVE Bloomington. In fact, I like it so much that of everything goes well I am planning on attending college here in the spring! I do get homesick sometimes, usually late in the week when I'm just ready to be in my own bed, but I think that's normal.
Again I apologize that I haven't posted in a while. I promise I'll try to post more. Have a great day!
Again I apologize that I haven't posted in a while. I promise I'll try to post more. Have a great day!
Sep 23, 2012
About that PO Box...
Hello, all! This is Cristina writing. I understand that our PO box has been returning checks. This is actually an error of the post office. They decided to give us the key before switching the box over into Tori's name, which explains why the mail has been returned to senders. We sincerely apologize for that and the post office has assured us that the issue has been rectified. We thank you for your patience while dealing with that. Checks can now be written and mailed to the same address, which is as follows:
Victoria Collins
P.O. Box 25
Sheridan, IN 46069
Or you can click HERE to donate online.
I would also like to touch on how treatments have been going with Tori. We are really loving the folks at the IU proton beam center. We have seen many, many young children sitting in the waiting room with us and it has really made us thankful that Tori has not had to battle this her whole life. The staff at the proton center is fantastic, I really love watching them interact with patients. They are so genuine and sincere. We really do feel cared for. They also have an awesome family resource center that offers free art therapy. We had one "lesson" and loved it. The center is also furnished for a place to rest and relax, as well as a full kitchen with many free resources. The center also offers tons of brochures and flyers about local sights and restaurants. We definitely have utilized this center and are very thankful for all the amenities. The center also holds a free professional photo-shoot for patients and their families, which Tori will be participating in, so keep updated for those photos!
Again I cannot thank all of you for your donations and sincere, kind words. We are all very touched by the kindness of family, friends, and anonymous benefactors. We are still fighting with the insurance company but we are slowly getting closer to securing coverage for Tori's treatment. I am also including a picture of Tori and her mom, Tracy, in this post so you all can see how Tori is doing. Thank you all again!
Victoria Collins
P.O. Box 25
Sheridan, IN 46069
Or you can click HERE to donate online.
I would also like to touch on how treatments have been going with Tori. We are really loving the folks at the IU proton beam center. We have seen many, many young children sitting in the waiting room with us and it has really made us thankful that Tori has not had to battle this her whole life. The staff at the proton center is fantastic, I really love watching them interact with patients. They are so genuine and sincere. We really do feel cared for. They also have an awesome family resource center that offers free art therapy. We had one "lesson" and loved it. The center is also furnished for a place to rest and relax, as well as a full kitchen with many free resources. The center also offers tons of brochures and flyers about local sights and restaurants. We definitely have utilized this center and are very thankful for all the amenities. The center also holds a free professional photo-shoot for patients and their families, which Tori will be participating in, so keep updated for those photos!
Again I cannot thank all of you for your donations and sincere, kind words. We are all very touched by the kindness of family, friends, and anonymous benefactors. We are still fighting with the insurance company but we are slowly getting closer to securing coverage for Tori's treatment. I am also including a picture of Tori and her mom, Tracy, in this post so you all can see how Tori is doing. Thank you all again!
Sep 14, 2012
Practically Beaming!
Hello all, this is Cristina writing. We are all so excited for Tori to be receiving proton therapy finally. Although she is getting treatment, it is leaving her very fatigued. We had the opportunity to go into the treatment room and Tracy and I were astounded. We have taken and provided pictures of the room and the amazing technology that is used to give Tori another chance at a normal life.
We learned a few new facts about the facilities we are using while going through magazines for ideas on what to do in Bloomington. We really love this town so much, and were actually excited when her appointment got pushed back a few hours so we had time to enjoy ourselves. We enjoyed some time at a science museum and had a fantastic lunch at Farm Bloomington. This was one of the best days we have had here! Anyways, we found in one of the magazines an article by Amy Lynch that praises these facilities:
"The proton therapy center targets tumors without damaging the surrounding tissues, a precise, noninvasive cancer treatment without the potentially debilitating side effects of chemotherapy and other forms of radiation therapy...The IU Health Proton Therapy Center is the only proton therapy center that employs a technologically advanced uniform-scanning beam for dose delivery as opposed to the double-scattering beam used in all the other proton therapy facilities in the U.S."
We are very proud to say that Tori is receiving the best possible treatment in the country. I would also like to take this time to thank each donor for their contribution. I hope you have all gotten thank you emails from me, I have been personally responding to each donation, regardless of whether it is anonymous or not. Again, if you would like to remain anonymous, please omit your name from the donation form and we will graciously accept it without any unwanted questions or "publicity". We cannot stress how thankful we are that things are beginning to look up for the Collins. We have still have a beef with the insurance company but there are some big things that are happening that should change our case. Please continue to read and share our blog and donation page.
Thank you again,
Cristina
Sep 11, 2012
Important Update on Tori
Thank you to everyone that has offered us kind words, prayer, encouragement, and financial assistance. So many people have been helping us research legal issues, medical technicalities, ways to raise funds, and others have helped us do a thousand little things that we don't have the time to do right now. Just the amount of man-hours spent on phone calls, hour after hour (for days on end), has been innumerable. We can never say thank you enough.
The wonderful result of all this hard work has been that we have now gratefully worked out a deal to get Tori started with Proton Beam Therapy! The Proton Center has agreed to begin treatment pending a $53,055 down payment on the first day of treatment and a written agreement on our part to pay the remaining balance of $53,055 by the last week of treatments. In order to get her treatments STARTED, a very generous benefactor has responded to our case and donated $13,000 and has agreed to extend an interest-free loan for the remaining amount of the initial down payment. We are overjoyed that Tori will be able to start her life saving treatments within the time frame the doctor gave us! But Tori needs your help now more than ever. We are all working even more earnestly to raise the rest of the money she will need to pay the balance of what will be due on the last week of treatments. Also she will have follow up care and will need to pay back the loan she has received to start the Proton Beam Treatments. According to the doctor, this is only the beginning of many more costly medical needs that she will likely have over the course of her lifetime, BUT he also believes that this INDEED will end up being the LEAST costly of all the options available. This is such a successful treatment that it will likely save money in the end!
We are still in the process of battling the insurance company’s denial and will keep you updated on that process. We are still hopeful that the insurance company will change their mind and the treatment will be covered; and if that happens, it will certainly lighten the financial burden tremendously, covering 70% and leaving 30% of the costs to us. As everyone knows insurance premiums are rising and healthcare covers less and less these days. We understand that we are not the only ones out there that can't get their insurance to pay for medically necessary healthcare expenses. But we are hoping to make a difference. We plan to take this as far as we have to go in order to get it paid. We want to make a difference for other people out there who are in the same situation.
Again, we can’t thank you enough for your support. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Please share our information with anyone you can think of that may be able to help.
Lovingly,
Robert and Tracy Collins (Tori's parents)
Donate to Tori here!
The wonderful result of all this hard work has been that we have now gratefully worked out a deal to get Tori started with Proton Beam Therapy! The Proton Center has agreed to begin treatment pending a $53,055 down payment on the first day of treatment and a written agreement on our part to pay the remaining balance of $53,055 by the last week of treatments. In order to get her treatments STARTED, a very generous benefactor has responded to our case and donated $13,000 and has agreed to extend an interest-free loan for the remaining amount of the initial down payment. We are overjoyed that Tori will be able to start her life saving treatments within the time frame the doctor gave us! But Tori needs your help now more than ever. We are all working even more earnestly to raise the rest of the money she will need to pay the balance of what will be due on the last week of treatments. Also she will have follow up care and will need to pay back the loan she has received to start the Proton Beam Treatments. According to the doctor, this is only the beginning of many more costly medical needs that she will likely have over the course of her lifetime, BUT he also believes that this INDEED will end up being the LEAST costly of all the options available. This is such a successful treatment that it will likely save money in the end!
We are still in the process of battling the insurance company’s denial and will keep you updated on that process. We are still hopeful that the insurance company will change their mind and the treatment will be covered; and if that happens, it will certainly lighten the financial burden tremendously, covering 70% and leaving 30% of the costs to us. As everyone knows insurance premiums are rising and healthcare covers less and less these days. We understand that we are not the only ones out there that can't get their insurance to pay for medically necessary healthcare expenses. But we are hoping to make a difference. We plan to take this as far as we have to go in order to get it paid. We want to make a difference for other people out there who are in the same situation.
Again, we can’t thank you enough for your support. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Please share our information with anyone you can think of that may be able to help.
Lovingly,
Robert and Tracy Collins (Tori's parents)
Donate to Tori here!
Sep 10, 2012
Proton Beam Facts from Tori
Hello! Tori here. Hope everyone is having a great Monday. Today I want to share some facts about proton radiotherapy.
Proton radiation has a low entrance dose and no exit dose. This means that the tissue being radiated is almost exclusively tumor tissue. Which in turn means that proton radiation spares healthy tissue, whereas normal radiation does not. Proton radiotherapy has little to no side effects and is more easily tolerated than standard radiation. It is non invasive and painless (yay!). And it is considered the "gold standard" for brain tumors.
Also! Today I picked up the keys to my new PO box, so that if anybody feels uncomfortable or cannot donate online, you can send a check to:
PO Box 25
Sheridan, IN 46069
Please make checks payable to Victoria Collins.
Thank you to everybody donating and supporting me. This is a rough time but knowing there are so many people rooting for me makes it better :)
Bye for now,
Tori.
Click here for a video about Proton Therapy
Click HERE to donate
Proton radiation has a low entrance dose and no exit dose. This means that the tissue being radiated is almost exclusively tumor tissue. Which in turn means that proton radiation spares healthy tissue, whereas normal radiation does not. Proton radiotherapy has little to no side effects and is more easily tolerated than standard radiation. It is non invasive and painless (yay!). And it is considered the "gold standard" for brain tumors.
Also! Today I picked up the keys to my new PO box, so that if anybody feels uncomfortable or cannot donate online, you can send a check to:
PO Box 25
Sheridan, IN 46069
Please make checks payable to Victoria Collins.
Thank you to everybody donating and supporting me. This is a rough time but knowing there are so many people rooting for me makes it better :)
Bye for now,
Tori.
Click here for a video about Proton Therapy
Click HERE to donate
Sep 8, 2012
A Message from Tracy
Hey guys, it's Cristina. I am relaying a message written by Tracy, Tori's mother.
"First, I want to say thank you to everyone who is supporting us in so many different ways. We are extremely touched and words cannot express.
Second, I would like to give you some info that was given to us by the doctor recently. Proton Beam Therapy for brain tumors is considered the gold standard. It will give Tori the least probability of damage to good brain cells and is the most effective treatment available for her. Simple radiation does not spare the good brain tissue, and another surgery could leave her permanently paralyzed on the entire right side of her body (or worse) and current experimental drugs are causing other vital organs to fail. In order for her to have the best chance at a normal life, she has to have Proton Beam Radiation. We have been told that there's only a 20% chance that the tumor will recur within 5 years after proton therapy. No other treatment option is as hopeful as this one.
Third, even though Tori's physical symptoms have grown worse over the past week, she is still mentally and emotionally strong and ready to fight this thing. Please continue to let everyone know about her case so that we can get her treatments started as soon as possible, even if insurance won't cover it.
Thanks again,
Tracy Collins"
Please help spread the word, we are receiving so many donations and I am sending out thank-yous for every one, I really cannot thank you all enough. I am relying on you readers to help spread the word as well. Please help us by donating whatever amount you can at our GoFundMe page!
Thank you again,
Cristina
Click HERE to donate!
"First, I want to say thank you to everyone who is supporting us in so many different ways. We are extremely touched and words cannot express.
Second, I would like to give you some info that was given to us by the doctor recently. Proton Beam Therapy for brain tumors is considered the gold standard. It will give Tori the least probability of damage to good brain cells and is the most effective treatment available for her. Simple radiation does not spare the good brain tissue, and another surgery could leave her permanently paralyzed on the entire right side of her body (or worse) and current experimental drugs are causing other vital organs to fail. In order for her to have the best chance at a normal life, she has to have Proton Beam Radiation. We have been told that there's only a 20% chance that the tumor will recur within 5 years after proton therapy. No other treatment option is as hopeful as this one.
Third, even though Tori's physical symptoms have grown worse over the past week, she is still mentally and emotionally strong and ready to fight this thing. Please continue to let everyone know about her case so that we can get her treatments started as soon as possible, even if insurance won't cover it.
Thanks again,
Tracy Collins"
Please help spread the word, we are receiving so many donations and I am sending out thank-yous for every one, I really cannot thank you all enough. I am relying on you readers to help spread the word as well. Please help us by donating whatever amount you can at our GoFundMe page!
Thank you again,
Cristina
Click HERE to donate!
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