Last spring, Mary Wendt, 61, began having significant health problems that were at first unexplained. She contracted pneumonia twice, and then her kidneys began to show signs of failure. Her daughter, Melanie Wendt, took her to the hospital, where physicians performed a CT scan.
The diagnosis shocked her.
She appeared to have multiple myeloma, a cancer that forms in plasma cells of the blood.
“Basically every checkmark that is an indicator for this cancer, she was meeting,” Melanie said.
Her mother was anemic, and some of her ribs had broken away from their cartilage.
“It was certainly not the diagnosis I was thinking about,” Wendt said. “I did not once say, ‘Why me?’ This is just another chapter in my life. … I will fight multiple myeloma and I will be a survivor.”
And Wendt had a hard fight ahead of her. At first, Wendt’s percentage of cancerous bone marrow cells was 90%. She went through five rounds of chemotherapy after her diagnosis. Now, that percentage is down to 15%. It’s low enough for her to have a stem-cell transplant — the next step in her battle.
The transplant will take place at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa. If it is successful, it will give Wendt at least two more years with her loved ones.
While Wendt goes through the treatment, she will be living in an apartment complex less than two miles from the center contracted to Moffitt. Each day’s rent in these apartments is $100, and Wendt will need to stay there for about a month.
“It could be longer, depending on how she reacts to the stem cell transplant, but it won’t be any less than 25 days,” Melanie Wendt said.
Wendt’s health insurance will cover the costs of the treatment itself, but because she lives fewer than 40 miles from the center, it will not cover her housing. Melanie and her brother, Matt Wendt, have started a fundraiser to help with the costs of Moffitt housing. They also hope to cover Wendt’s daily expenses. She will have to take off work during treatment and for an additional two months after it.
For now, the family has been using only social media to spread the word. There was not time for them to organize a bigger event before the security deposit is due Nov. 14.
If the family raises more money than its goal of $15,000, the surplus will be donated to helping other Moffitt patients. Melanie said if they do not meet their goal, they will find a way to make sure her mother is able to stay on-site during her treatment, even if that means taking out loans.
“People’s help will take a huge burden off of my brother and me,” she said.
Wendt has lived in Plant City for 37 of her 61 years. She has given back to the community as a leader with Springhead Girl Scout troops and as a volunteer at South Florida Baptist Hospital. She hopes to continue to spend as much time with possible with family.
“The most important thing I want to do is to have the energy to play with my granddaughter again, like we used to before I was diagnosed with cancer,” Wendt said.
To donate to the Wendts’ fundraiser, visit GiveForward.com/fundraiser/br46/mary-s-fight-against-multiple-myeloma-?utm_source=giveforward&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=donation_notify_oganizer. Or, contact Melanie at (813) 967-3993.
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.