Haylee Busby has always had a passion for helping others, which led her to her dream job as a dispatcher with Carson City Dispatch at only 20-years-old.
However, in February Busby began experiencing severe weakness in her legs, according to her sister who organized her fundraiser. After a lengthy set of tests, scans, bloodwork and biopsies, Busby received devastating news: that she was diagnosed with Fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC), a rare and aggressive form of liver cancer that affects only one in five million people in the U.S.
After being transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Ariz. for specialized care, the news only got worse: they learned the cancer had metastasized to her chest and she had three blood clots in her heart.
Surgery was not an option, and instead, her treatment plan included immunotherapy to target the cancer throughout her entire body, along with Y90 radiation beads injected into her liver — a complicated process that has to be consistently reevaluated and adjusted.
Busby remains in Arizona currently as her treatment continues, but the Carson City community has rallied to her support.
The “Haylee’s Fight, Our Fight!” campaign was taken up by the Carson City Deputy Sheriff’s Association, the Sheriff’s Supervisory Association, the Employees’ Association, as well as nearly a dozen individual businesses who have become donors or sponsors.
Uriah Wise, President of the Carson City Employees’ Association, provided an update on Busby, stating that “Haylee is in great spirits and is allowed to return to work between treatments and that is a welcomed opportunity as a small return to normalcy for her. The funds that were raised during the Taste of Downtown event are going to her and her family to use towards travel, lodging and any other wellness needs.”
The “Haylee’s Fight, Our Fight!” campaign event at the Taste of Downtown raised funds for Busby, in addition to the $24,503 the GoFundMe has raised. However, Wise declined to share how much had been raised.
“It was so wonderful to be able to host the event during the Taste of Downtown, and we are grateful for the generous opportunity given to us from the event organizers at Advocates to End Domestic Violence to bring awareness to Haylee’s Fight against Fibrolamellar carcinoma,” Wise said. “The support from the community great, [and] many people that visited the booth not only made donations, but also shared their stories of their or their loved ones’ battles with cancer.”
Wise said that with heartfelt gratitude, they wished to thank their donors and sponsors for the fundraising campaign:
• Advocates to End Domestic Violence & Taste of Downtown
• Battle Born Wine
• Big Daddy’s Bike & Brew
• Carson City Parks and Recreation
• Crystal Ice & Oil Co
• Cucina Lupo
• Douglas County Rodeo
• Great Basin Brewing
• M&N Lawn Care & Sprinkler Repair
• Minden Meat and Deli
• Stith Printing
You can donate to Busby’s GoFundMe at https://gofund.me/eef684a0 , or on Venmo by typing in @local2251 or scanning the QR code below:
