Charitable Flights Help Lymphoma Patient Receive Life-Saving Care
Diagnosed with Lymphoma
Suellen looks bold, even unbeatable, when someone first meets her. But in the not-too-distant past, she felt the opposite. She was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma in 2020. It was a time when the world was falling apart – and her life as she knew it fell apart too.
“My form of cancer is so rare,” said Suellen, “that most oncologists don’t normally deal with it.” She went through multiple rounds of chemo to fight it. She beat lymphoma in 2021, and went into remission. Then in 2023, doctors found out that lymphoma was fighting back.
Not Giving Up
Despite the grim news, Suellen didn’t give up. The lymphoma diagnosis, and the fact nobody in her vicinity could treat it effectively, propelled Suellen to take action. She threw herself into researching treatment options, while searching for support online.
Over time, her searches for support led to new Facebook connections. Some of them also suffered from the specific type of cancer she was battling. From those connections, Suellen found out about a specialist at MD Anderson.
“This specialist is familiar with the latest available treatments,” said Suellen, “and has successfully treated many patients with this form of cancer.”
Slim Chances...
There was just one problem with Suellen’s plan to see the specialist. MD Anderson is in Houston, Texas – which is more than 825 miles away from her home in Colorado. “I couldn’t afford to go,” said Suellen.
Suellen’s chances were looking slim. How would she receive life-saving care?
...Now Increased
That was when Suellen found out about Mercy Medical Angels. Mercy Medical Angels arranged charitable flights on United Airlines, with funding from The Hogan Foundation. Suellen was now able to access the treatment she needed.
“Mercy Medical Angels has made these out-of-state medical trips possible,” said Suellen. “I had no trouble with the flights.”
"I'm Just So Thankful..."
For now, Suellen is back home. She’s on the road to beating lymphoma once again. And this time, she doesn’t have to travel that road by herself. With help from Mercy Medical Angels, her chances of surviving – and thriving – are higher than before.
“I would not have been able to receive the care I needed if they didn’t provide charitable flights,” said Suellen. “I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to travel out-of-state for medical care.”
“I’m just so thankful to have found Mercy Medical Angels!”
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