Benefit for Jaycee Cushard will be July 9th at the Tollesboro Lions Club
There are times in a community when everybody comes together in the service and support of one person in particular need, Jaycee Cushard is that person today.
J. Cushard, a 29-year-old resident of Tollesboro, has a rare form of liver cancer called Fibrolamellar Carcinoma; with medical bills piling up the family will be holding a benefit dinner and auction on July 9, for her past and continued care.
“We found out Jaycee had this growth (tumor) in December (2021) when she had pneumonia caused by COVID,” said J. Cushard’s mother, Dawn Cushard.
J. Cushard said her doctors did a CT scan for her lungs to see if there was damage wrought by COVID and instead they found the tumor.
According to D. Cushard, J. Cushard was told she had most likely had this cancer since 2018 and the growth was 12 x 11 x 9 centimeters in size.
“It’s very rare and there are no contributing or mitigating factors (nothing to cause or prevent this cancer) it’s a product of gene mutation that happens in less than one percent of liver cancer patients,” D. Cushard said.
This type of cancer is usually found in adolescents or young adults under the age of 40 who otherwise have completely healthy livers, D. Cushard continued.
“I am still able to work and I do from home and I can take general care of myself; though the side effects of radiation and medication keep me feeling tired and nauseated,” said J. Cushard.
According to J. Cushard, after radiation and surgery she may still need to go through a round of Chemotherapy; after all the treatments and surgery she should go into remission but it may not end there.
“Because it’s in my genes it can always come back, there’s no precautions I can really take, I will have to be monitored for it my whole life,” J. Cushard concluded.
According to J. Cushard the doctors are currently trying to shrink the tumor with radiation so it can be removed and as it is on her heart artery the aorta vessel will need to be replaced.
“We should find out in a few weeks if the last round of radiation shrunk the tumor enough, if it hasn’t there will be another round of radiation before they try the surgery,” D. Cushard stated.
The benefit dinner and auction will be held at the Lions Club in Tollesboro on July 9, food to be served at 5 p.m. followed by the auction at 6 p.m. and for those wanting more information or wanting to donate there is a Facebook page set up called Benefit Dinner and Auction for Jaycee Cushard.
D. Cushard expressed her gratitude by saying, “We want to thank everyone who has been there and prayed for and supported us through this difficult time, it has meant so much and everybody has been so great.”
