Epic Journey for Sarah

Hi everyone, my name is Sarah Partos and I'm currently going through treatment for Mantle cell lymphoma. As a Massage Therapist and the Assistant Director of the San Francisco School of Massage, I'm fortunate to have a job I love that allows me to help others. Now I'm the one asking for help.

In my life I've had the opportunity to travel all over the world, but fighting cancer is the most epic journey I've faced yet. My journey started with the discovery of a very enlarged spleen. I wasn't the one who discovered it, but I should have realized something was going on when my belly got noticeably bigger. It happened months before I went to a doctor. I assumed it was middle age catching up with me in the form of a fat stomach. Around the same time, I started feeling a little short of breath going up the stairs. Looking back now these symptoms seem like big red flags, but when you're in your late 40s, getting fatter and shorter of breath is usually just a symptom that it's time to hit the gym!

I also had loads of swollen lymph nodes, and the doctor explained these symptoms were glaring signs of a very unhappy immune system. The next step was to test for major infections. I had my hopes pinned on Mono, because it was the least scary choice on their list, but everything came back negative. Although it was great to know I was infection free, this left cancer as the most likely cause. A series of blood tests, scans and biopsies followed, confirming my diagnosis.

Shortly after being diagnosed, and before I even had the opportunity to meet with my Oncologist, I found myself in extreme abdominal pain. An emergency room scan showed my giant spleen had taken over the whole left side of my abdomen, from hip to diaphragm and then some. It was so big that a section at the top had infarcted, and wasn't getting any blood flow. I was admitted to the hospital and found myself getting chemotherapy 2 days later. That first round of chemotherapy, which began in the hospital, was the start of 6 rounds which I finished last month.

I'm very happy to report I had a complete response to treatment! My next step is to get an autologous bone marrow transplant, at Stanford. The preparatory work (testing, apheresis, chemotherapy, etc.) will start in Aug. My hospitalization will start on Sept. 8th and the actual transplant will be on Sept. 14th.

My Kaiser insurance will cover a majority of the cost, but I'll still have to come up with a substantial amount for co-payments, transportation (for many trips back and forth between Palo Alto and SF) and hotel stays in Palo Alto. This is the portion of my treatment where I'll need the financial help. I'm trying to raise a total of $15,000 and am over 1/3 of the way there with $5,750 raised to date. I'm so grateful for donations and shirt purchases made to date, and for all the love and positive energy sent my way.

To assist with my cancer journey, my awesome friend Monica Price is making her own epic journey to help raise money for treatment. She's a crazy Ironman Triathlete who's planning to complete a 620-mile round trip run and cycle from San Francisco to Reno, and back. Monica lives in Hawaii, so if COVID-19 prevents her from traveling to California she'll complete an equivalent event on the Big Island.

Please join my journey by taking part in the race, buying a shirt or sharing this link! In this time of social distancing all race participation is virtual. You can run on a treadmill, swim, cycle, do somersaults around the house... in short you can complete your portion of the journey any way you'd like. You can also complete any distance you'd like. There's no need to do 620-miles (unless you're a crazy Ironman Triathlete too). Registration costs $20 and includes a race bib and medal. You can find more information and register online here: https://virtualworldracers.raceentry.com/sarahs-epic-journey/race-information

Any money not used for transplant expenses will be donated to the worthwhile non-profits Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Fuck Cancer and Epic Journey.

To help get the word out, please share the link for my campaign on your Facebook Timeline. Thank you very much for your potential support!