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Caledonia mother seeks help as cancer returns
A Caledonia mother of four is seeking community support after her cancer returned and spread, leaving her family facing a $300,000 treatment not covered by insurance.
CALEDONIA, Wis. - A Caledonia mother of four says she is praying for a miracle after learning her cancer has returned and spread, forcing her family to confront the overwhelming cost of a treatment not covered by insurance.
What we know:
Martha Kinyonga, 41, has spent years serving others as a missionary. Now, during the season of giving, she and her family are asking the community for help as she fights an aggressive return of colorectal cancer.
"I do, I need a Christmas miracle," said Kinyonga, who needs money for treatment. "I would be grateful."
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Kinyonga was first diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 38 and underwent chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. For a time, doctors believed cancer found in her liver was shrinking, but a scan this fall showed it had spread.
"It was in the ovaries, the uterus, the stomach lining, the lungs and the colon," she said.
Doctors have since accepted her into a targeted chemotherapy treatment program in Arizona, which Kinyonga describes as her last option. The treatment is expected to cost about $300,000 and is not covered by her insurance.
What they're saying:
"Honestly, this is almost like the last resort for healing," said Kinyonga.
Kinyonga and her husband have worked as missionaries in Tanzania for years, even helping start a church there. Now, support is coming back to them from their church community in Oak Creek, which has been helping the family fundraise.
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"You can feel people truly care about us," said Esther Kinyonga, her daughter. "She is definitely the spirit and the glue that binds this family together. She’s loved."
For the family, the fight has reshaped what matters most as they rally around the woman they call their foundation.
"She is definitely the spirit and the glue that binds this family together. She’s loved," said Esther Kinyonga, her daughter.
Kinyonga hopes to begin the four-month intensive treatment on Jan. 14. Her goal, she says, is simple.
"I still want to be here for my kids and for my family and to impact the world," said Kinyonga.
What you can do:
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Kinyonga's cancer battle.
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Additional support can be found below.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.