Woman battling rare fungus after beating cancer 3 times
By James Felton and James Paxson
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FREELAND, Michigan (WNEM) — A mid-Michigan woman went into remission after her third battle with leukemia, but is now dealing with a rare medical issue from a potentially deadly fungus.
Kaitlyn Dill, 21, lives in Freeland and just beat cancer for a third time, but now she’s dealing with a rare skin fungus on her face.
She was first diagnosed with cancer at age 5, again at 16, and then last August. She is also dealing with a fungus in her face that kills everything it touches.
“It’s called mucor, and it eats at your flesh. So, they’ll have to remove my top jaw and the inside of my nose and stuff like that to get rid of it,” Kaitlyn Dill said.
Her mom Karri Dill said the 12-hour surgery to remove the rotted tissue is scheduled to take place Friday in Ann Arbor. She said there is a chance her daughter could lose her nose and an eye.
“They will use her left scapula in her shoulder to reconstruct her top palate. And essentially that will kind of like be her jaw. However, she won’t have like a ridge of a jaw to be able to get dentures. She would have to have implants, which are not covered by insurance. And U of M said they’re like $30,000 to $40,000,” Karri Dill said.
Karri Dill said she is reaching out to the community for help to cover medical expenses and other costs while the family stays in Ann Arbor.
“I’m thankful she’s alive and she has a chance to fight this, and get rid of it, and live a happy life,” Karri Dill said.
Kaitlyn Dill said when she is healthy, she wants to work for Child Protective Services.
She knows a lot of people believe in her and will carry on the faith with her as she takes the next step towards a normal life.
“I’m nervous but I think everything is going to be fine,” Kaitlyn Dill said.
The family is holding a special fundraiser for Kaitlyn Dill in the parking lot of Pat’s Food Center in Freeland from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
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