Dear RTOW members,
We have had a very special student in our program this past year, Kimberly Graham. She has been surviving Ewing's Sarcoma for five years while still going to school, and is now facing a terminal diagnosis; with a rapidly growing lung tumor. However they have found one last hope through a tumor vaccine program at the NIH in Baltimore. On Monday, July 22, she will undergo a risky surgery there but if all goes well the doctors at the NIH will be able to make a vaccine to fight the additional disease on her kidney. Currently she is at home under chemo, has lost her voice as the tumor is paralyzing her vocal cords; but she is staying strong. As I spoke with her mother, Dawn Graham, last weekend she shared the financial burden they are starting to feel as they race to try to save their daughter's life. They are needing to pay for travel and lodging for their family so they can be with Kim.
A friend of theirs has set up this fundraising site, https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/2X7x3. If you are able to support the family financially, they would be most appreciative. I have also attached a few articles about Kim's story so you can read about what a remarkable person she is. Please keep Kimberly and her family in your thoughts and prayers.
Thank you,
Melissa Weege
Radiation Therapy Program Director,
UW-La Crosse
