Help Save My Life and Family
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My name is Lisa Smith. I am a mom of 2 really great teenage girls who have had the worst year of their life. At 49 years old, I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma stage 3 with a large tumor in my right Breast with cancer spread to my lymph nodes. I was told I had to have Neo Adjuvant Chemo prior to my mastectomy and lymph node dissection or I would die.
I refused and my then 15 year old said, "Mom, do it for me". I accepted. Chemo triggered a massive auto immune reaction sending me to the ER 3 x in one week. When covered in hives the size of oranges I told my husband and partner of 33 years I can't take it anymore im going back to the ER he turned over looked at me in bed, said let me know how it goes, rolled back over and went to sleep.
I didn't understand what was happening and my 15 year old wouldn't let me go alone so at midnight we went back to the ER.
After Chemo I was scanned, my tumor never shrunk and my Breast Surgeon told me Chemo did not work. I underwent a Mastectomy and Lymph node Dissection knowing I also had a positive internal mammary node that surgery would not be able to remove. I then underwent 25 out of 27 radiations. I was told by the Radiation Oncologist I was considered cancer free not understanding and questioning why I was doing radiation I was told it was my "insurance". On the 25th day of a terrible and grueling process of radiation my 15 year old daughter discovered her father had been living a double life for 5 years with his coworker and hiding a family in an apartment he leased with her just 20 minutes away. My world and that of my 2 innocent young girls was shattered forever.
He came back to the 3 of us crying, begging to be with us promising one lie after another only to have continued the affair with her knowing she was sleeping with a married father of 2 for 5 years, taking their father away from them forever. They will never trust him again.
I filed for divorce as he was still cheating, lying and stealing, forced by my business landlord to close my small business of 18 years and my husband moved right in with his mistress and child that he had told us he never wanted and therefore hid for 2 years. All I wanted to do was help my girls and I heal and fight my cancer.
He couldn't and wouldn't let me do that. He hired an overpriced ambulance chasing attorney who lies about me over and over, shocking me to the core that any woman could betray a victim for even $1. I would rather die than earn a living with no integrity. He has left me to pay the majority of our bills for my children and I. I am being forced to work with active cancer through recovery of major surgery in order to support my children, animals, home and I while he lives more than comfortably.
He has fought to take the home I have paid for alone for 21 years away from me. My youngest daughter was forced to leave her school and start a new one Junior year in High school. I have been paying for my kids car payments alone while he took 2 paid cars from our property. His family has supported his actions and has not supported my children nor I or defended us in any capacity. We realized that during the length of his 5 year double life he was disconnecting from my children and treating them terribly and we couldn't figure out why. We didn't know that we were living with a con artist. We were.
I underwent major surgery 11/30/23 and was still ordered to attend meetings virtually 2 weeks into my 8 week recovery. My surgeon called me 2 days after this surgery to tell me he found cancer in an internal mammary node and did not get clean margins. My oncologist just told me my radiation did not work either. I now have to be scanned from my brain to my entire body to recheck and rule out cancer in my bones and organs and although my doctors have rushed the urgency of these tests we have not gotten approval from my insurance company yet.
Whatever I tell you its 1,000 times worse.
I have over $20,000 in medical bills outstanding, $11,000 plus in legal fees for a divorce I didnt cause. I am paying our credit card bills alone, our mortgage alone in order to keep my children in their family home even temporarily and both children and my car payments, utilities, half of one child's education and the majority of the other childs education alone. I can't focus on my cancer or even to get away for a few days with my girls and start to heal from this terrible betrayal after being loyal to someone who told me he loved me every single day for 33 years. I have been lied to, cheated on, stolen from and I am forced to work with cancer or lose my home and stability for my children and I. I HATE asking for help from my community and friends but I can't sleep any longer. He has been given a huge inheritance immediately after being caught cheating, abandoning his family and destroying 3 lives. I am destroyed, I am desperate and I am tired. I am only here because my children and animals need me. I don't have the luxury of quitting so please help me win. I am still fighting in court and have trial dates but he has the money he needs to kick me while im down and has no problem, no conscience and no doubts he can do it.
Organizer
lisa smith
Organizer
Ossining, NY