The Watkins Family
Our Story
My name is Lucy Watkins and I'm living with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. I'm currently in palliative care and, according to my doctors, I will be in treatment for the remainder of my life.
There is a tragic history of cancer in my family. I am one of six children: two boys and four girls. My mother and her only sister both died of cancer. I am now the third sister to have breast cancer. I'm also the only one of those three who is still living. However, genetic testing says that we don't have the genetic markers. I wonder if I need to call Erin Brockovich to find out how this happened.
I have been a single mother for many years and now I am an empty-nester, unless you count my four rescue dogs and cat. While my girls are out of the house creating their own lives, they are the most important people in the life I hope to continue for as long as possible. They have been my rocks during this process.
I was diagnosed in May of 2024 and began chemotherapy in July of 2024. I've had a double mastectomy and some radiation. Unfortunately, the cancer metastasized to my liver.
When I was first diagnosed I was working full-time doing administrative work in a physical therapy clinic. Treatment hit me hard and fast. I was no longer able to work full-time. Thankfully, the state of Texas has Medicaid specific to breast cancer. I was able to qualify for that. Becoming low income was never something I aspired to. Unfortunately, it's the only way I could have afford medical care. That's not a situation I've ever wanted to be in, but I am and I'm trying to make the best of it.
Since I'm further into my treatment, it's getting harder and harder to work. I'm so grateful that the company I work for has transferred me to a department that is exclusively work-from-home. They have also been very supportive of me with regards to my dwindling hours due to treatment, appointments, and support groups.
I also no longer have a car, because the transmission went out in my old one. My options were to replace the transmission or buy a new car. I wasn't able to do either and I sold the car for $500. Now, I get rides to treatment from either the American Cancer society or friends. When these options aren't available, I use ride services such as Uber and Lyft. As far as groceries, prescriptions, and other shopping, I utilize delivery services.
My most important financial goal is to be able to stay in my home and have a place for my girls to come back to. The real reason I ever bought this house in the first place was so that I could leave something for my girls. I really, really want to keep it, but I need help to make that happen. If I were to have to sell it or lose it to foreclosure, I really don't know where I would go or what I would do.
I've been told that many many people live long lives with metastatic cancer. And that's my goal. I would love to get to a place where I was a fully functioning member of society again and I could work full time and afford insurance at work. I would love to also be able to spend more time with my daughters traveling with them or going to see them. And I would absolutely love to be able to help them financially. I'm not sure that's in the cards for me, but that's why my number one goal is to keep this house. I want to be one of those people who lives a long and happy life while fighting metastatic cancer.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. And thank you so much for considering donating to my campaign.
Family Updates
Hello,
First, I want to thank you for taking the time to look at this fundraising campaign and my story.
A few things have happened since I began working on this campaign that I wanted to share with all of you. I've been working on finding financial grant, applying for Disability Insurance, and spent a few nights in the hospital.
Lisa Reed, the hospital social worker, and I have been submitting applications for a variety of grants that are specifically set up for cancer patients in need. Sadly, the pool of organizations having available funds has decreased since years past. Those organizations that have available monies are seeing a significant increase in the number of applications being submitted, while also seeing a decrease in donations.
The Social Security Administration denied my disability insurance application, but I am going to figure it out and reapply. Thankfully, my bosses and the Human Resource Department have been incredibly supportive and helpful, providing documentation and filling out forms quickly and thoroughly. For this, I am very grateful.
I ended up in the hospital last week due to a suspected infection. The emergency room doctors decided that I had sepsis. I don't know if that's the exact way to say it, but they decided I had a serious infection and I ended up staying in the hospital for three days.
They ran blood cultures, they did MRIs, they did CT scans of all different parts of my body and found nothing. However, after being on IV antibiotics for a few days, I no longer had kidney pain or a productive cough. I felt better overall.
So, while there was no actual diagnosis or a clearly diagnosable infection, I came out of the hospital having fewer symptoms than what I was experiencing when I went to the ER.
I also learned that I am allergic to vancomycin, which is a broad spectrum antibiotic frequently given to stage 4 cancer patients. I also learned the phrase, "Is there an alternative antihistamine you can give me that will not make my blood pressure plummet?" It sounds like such an easy sentence to come up with. When you're in your third allergic reaction from the same antibiotic and the doctors are wanting to give you the same antihistamine that makes your blood pressure plummet, it makes it difficult to come up with the right words.
One thing about having cancer and seeing so many doctors is the importance of learning to advocate for oneself. And we have to do ot despite the inner voice that tells us to sit down, shut up, listen to the doctors, and behave.
I'm learning that personal empowerment around my healthcare is vital to my quality of life. While hospitals and medical organizations may have a slew of test results and information in my chart, I am the keeper of the entire truth, the entire reality, and my own spirit. Some days it's easier to speak up than others, but I'm getting better at being consistent.
That's all for now. Thank you for taking the time to read this update. There are more to come.
Thank you,
Lucy the former redhead