Iva was able to get up today for the first time in days. She went out in her wheelchair with her boyfriend, Antonio. She was awake all day. She ate sarmi sent by an aunt in Serbia.
All of these little insignificant details. People eat every day. People go out of their homes every day. None of this is particularly miraculous, unless you know that for the last several weeks Iva has been bedridden. Knocked down by a huge emergency surgery in February, during which they removed everything touching the tumor--part of her colon, her rectum, her bladder, part of her abdominal muscles, an artery in her leg, part of her pubic bone, some ligaments, etc. She fought back, walking for short distances with the aid of crutches. Then the onslaught of chemo knocked her out again. She couldn't stand. She couldn't sit up for more than a 1/2 hour. She was unable to eat. To breathe deeply. Most people execute these activities day in and day out without realizing they are so very extraordinary. None of this is easy or ordinary now.
We started our fundraising a couple of days ago, and just through the few phone calls we have made, we have already raised nearly $4k. Only $26k to go before the end of next week! If you haven't visited our website, please take time now to do so:
www.saveiva.org
Iva's continued recovery and chances of surviving this tragic disease are dependent upon the therapy she is getting in Vienna. She needs medicine, and unfortunately, her medicine costs a lot.
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