Support Amy Roth

For the past 10 years, I have been struggling with digestive issues, food sensitivities, and chronic pain. I’ve tried dietary changes, chiropractic care, massage, oils, supplements and prescription medications. However, I could never seem to get relief from the pain, bloating and food sensitivity. In 2017, my primary doctor referred me to get a colonoscopy but the GI doctor decided I needed to cleanse my colon and begin a Low FODMAP (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols) diet, chalking my symptoms up to stress, IBS and Fibromyalgia. The plan didn’t seem to fix my symptoms. I just learned to work through the pain, but never could shake off the nagging feeling that something was wrong.

I started having more issues with my bowels in the spring of 2020 when everything was shut down due to COVID. I saw a GI doctor in the fall who again suggested that I do a Miralax cleanse, thinking that the cause was constipation. I pushed further and convinced the doctor to do a colonoscopy and endoscopy to be sure. When I woke from the colonoscopy, I was told that a very large mass was found in the sigmoid junction of my colon that would have to be removed ASAP. I was told that it was likely cancerous.

I had a partial colon resection about a month later and received a stage 3 cancer diagnosis. My family and I contracted COVID at Christmas which slowed things down a bit. In February 2021 I had my port put in and began 12 rounds of chemo. The treatment took longer than expected because I had a few weeks I was unable to do treatment due to low white blood cell counts. I finally finished chemo at the end of September 2021. Within a couple weeks, I had blood in my stool and contacted my doctor. A follow-up colonoscopy revealed that the cancer was back, this time in the rectum. It was determined that 28 treatments of chemo and radiation to shrink the tumor before surgery would be best. I have completed those treatments and recovered from COVID a second time. On April 5, I will undergo surgery to have more of my colon and my rectum removed and be given a temporary ileostomy while I heal. I will hopefully have a second surgery this summer to reverse the ileostomy.

Cancer has stolen so much from me and my family the last 1½ years. I am longing to get moving again and have some adventures. Unfortunately, I have neuropathy in my feet as a side effect of chemo which affects my balance and makes walking difficult. As a family we have been researching additional holistic treatment options to help me with these side effects and heal from the pending surgeries. My husband’s Aunt Connie used to work at Sara’s Garden and she has told us so many stories of how Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) has helped people heal from a variety of issues, including cancer, neuropathy and surgery recovery. I am planning to do HBOT therapy at Sara’s Garden after my surgery and am hoping and praying that I can get some relief from the neuropathy as well as speed recovery.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for my condition is only $150 per treatment at Sara’s Garden (as opposed to $1,500-2,500 per treatment at a hospital). Unfortunately, in the United States insurance companies do not recognize HBOT as being therapeutic for the treatment of cancer or neuropathy and will therefore not cover the cost of the treatments even though it is widely recognized as a crucial tool in helping someone recover from the ravaging effects of cancer treatments (such as chemotherapy and radiation).

If you could assist us with the cost (or even just part of the cost) of a single $150 treatment it would help reduce our overall expenses greatly. 100% of the funds received will go into an account in my name and will be used for my treatments. Any contribution made would be considered a tax-deductible donation as Sara’s Garden is a 501(c)(3) non-profit facility. Checks can be made out to Sara’s Garden with my name on a sheet of paper accompanying the check. Please do not write my name directly on the check. You can also donate securely online via credit card by clicking on the DONATE NOW button below.

I have an amazing support system of friends and family who have given so generously of their resources, their time, words of encouragement and most importantly their prayers. My Faith in God is what has carried me through this last year and a half. To say things have been hard is an understatement, but God has been so good and I have felt his love and care through the kindness and generosity of so many amazing people! Thank you so much for considering the support of these treatments.

Amy Roth and family