Pollyanne Birge Cancer Fund
Donation protected
How many genuine good souls have you met in your life that are total bad asses? People who really shine with honesty, warmth and drive. Ones who walk around with beating hearts of gold, leaving a trail of something better behind them. When we encounter such a soul they always make an impact and we are never the same for it. Folks like that are such a treasure. I know of one such bright light in this world who is facing a difficult challenge right now and she could really use our help!
If each of her Facebook friends donates just $10 we'll totally reach our goal. Once this process is over if there is any money left over from her expenses then the remaining funds will be turned over to another soul with cancer who is also in need of help!
Pollyanne Birge (so rightly named as she is a real true blue Pollyanna!) is a solid gold friend/sister/daughter/auntie/ally/colleague. She is an inspiring advocator and celebrator of creativity and connectivity who has impacted countless folks with her exuberant positivity, generosity, kindness and ability to tease out the best in all of us. Gifted with a keen eye for esthetics and a passion for the arts and for connecting with people, she is quite the talented scat singing old school punk rocker, who loves to laugh and goof it up and is one of the funniest ladies ever to be around! She also knows how to take care of business and has worked tirelessly for years to engage creatively and be a catalyst for inclusiveness, from her years at Portland City Hall with the Regional Arts and Culture Council & the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to her time with Ye New Dill Pickle Club/Know Your City (http://knowyourcity.org/) and now her current position as the Executive Director of the nonprofit Independent Resource Publishing Center (http://www.iprc.org/).
Pollyanne is the kind of lady who gets the most joy in life from giving to others and it's not always easy for her to be on the recieving end of things. However, breast cancer has come knocking on her door and now is the time for the community and her loved ones to reach out to her as she is facing a rough road of healing ahead and quite honestly she could really use some assistance. Cancer doesn't come cheap even with insurance!
Pollyanne does have insurance but she is going to need to pay out of pocket for her insurance deductibles, medication, bandages, transportation, new clothes, all of that extra stuff that comes up and stacks up as she walks her path to recovery, which is going to take some time. She also needs to take time off from work to recover from surgery but still has bills to pay. Money worries = stress and stress is not helpful to healing.
Please consider donating a little something towards her expenses and help her achieve some peace of mind while her body journeys its way back to a healthy place.
Thank you so much for any donations and all well wishes!
You can also donate directly to her cause through Paypal!! Pollyanne's email for her Paypay account is [email redacted] and she will be able to access donations there instantly!
Below is Polly's original Facebook post about her situation.
-------------------- More updates to come!---------------------
"Hello My Lovelies! I wanted to give folks a heads up RE: what the next month or so looks on my end. Just for clarification, I have DCIS: Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. Which is essentially pre-stage 1. (I have so much to be thankful for, this is one thing) I did decide to do a mastectomy on my right breast, which just got scheduled for July 9th. The procedure will be a removal of the breast and putting "extenders" in under my chest muscles at the same time. Every week for several after I will have the "extender" filled with saline by way of a large needle! (Not really looking forward to that...) That means for reconstruction purposes, the material will be stretched enough and I will have some options. After healing for a few months, I am going with a reconstruction plan using a autologous procedure like a TRAM or DIEP flap in the fall. With both procedures, they use some of your tummy skin which is still attached to the vascular system and thread that up under your abdomen muscles and come up on top to create a breast. Modern technology is amazing. I went with this plan because unlike an saline implant, the reconstruction expands (and deflates!) with age. With all of this, I have to say--it's been one of the most intense, interesting chess games to try to figure out all of the options, all of the steps, how to advocate for myself the best...seriously, though--if you or someone you know is just learning how to navigate through all of this reach out--it's been a very illuminating last few weeks. I'm super positive and with the plan I've chosen--the likelihood of me contracting cancer on the right breast again is 1 to 3% (Numbers I feel pretty confident about) Thanks to everyone for all of your lovely cards, messages, hugs on the streets and kind words. The next little while will be tuff, but ok. And with the great folks I am blessed to have in my life, I know I'm going to be alright. xoxo"-Pollyanne Birge
If each of her Facebook friends donates just $10 we'll totally reach our goal. Once this process is over if there is any money left over from her expenses then the remaining funds will be turned over to another soul with cancer who is also in need of help!
Pollyanne Birge (so rightly named as she is a real true blue Pollyanna!) is a solid gold friend/sister/daughter/auntie/ally/colleague. She is an inspiring advocator and celebrator of creativity and connectivity who has impacted countless folks with her exuberant positivity, generosity, kindness and ability to tease out the best in all of us. Gifted with a keen eye for esthetics and a passion for the arts and for connecting with people, she is quite the talented scat singing old school punk rocker, who loves to laugh and goof it up and is one of the funniest ladies ever to be around! She also knows how to take care of business and has worked tirelessly for years to engage creatively and be a catalyst for inclusiveness, from her years at Portland City Hall with the Regional Arts and Culture Council & the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to her time with Ye New Dill Pickle Club/Know Your City (http://knowyourcity.org/) and now her current position as the Executive Director of the nonprofit Independent Resource Publishing Center (http://www.iprc.org/).
Pollyanne is the kind of lady who gets the most joy in life from giving to others and it's not always easy for her to be on the recieving end of things. However, breast cancer has come knocking on her door and now is the time for the community and her loved ones to reach out to her as she is facing a rough road of healing ahead and quite honestly she could really use some assistance. Cancer doesn't come cheap even with insurance!
Pollyanne does have insurance but she is going to need to pay out of pocket for her insurance deductibles, medication, bandages, transportation, new clothes, all of that extra stuff that comes up and stacks up as she walks her path to recovery, which is going to take some time. She also needs to take time off from work to recover from surgery but still has bills to pay. Money worries = stress and stress is not helpful to healing.
Please consider donating a little something towards her expenses and help her achieve some peace of mind while her body journeys its way back to a healthy place.
Thank you so much for any donations and all well wishes!
You can also donate directly to her cause through Paypal!! Pollyanne's email for her Paypay account is [email redacted] and she will be able to access donations there instantly!
Below is Polly's original Facebook post about her situation.
-------------------- More updates to come!---------------------
"Hello My Lovelies! I wanted to give folks a heads up RE: what the next month or so looks on my end. Just for clarification, I have DCIS: Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. Which is essentially pre-stage 1. (I have so much to be thankful for, this is one thing) I did decide to do a mastectomy on my right breast, which just got scheduled for July 9th. The procedure will be a removal of the breast and putting "extenders" in under my chest muscles at the same time. Every week for several after I will have the "extender" filled with saline by way of a large needle! (Not really looking forward to that...) That means for reconstruction purposes, the material will be stretched enough and I will have some options. After healing for a few months, I am going with a reconstruction plan using a autologous procedure like a TRAM or DIEP flap in the fall. With both procedures, they use some of your tummy skin which is still attached to the vascular system and thread that up under your abdomen muscles and come up on top to create a breast. Modern technology is amazing. I went with this plan because unlike an saline implant, the reconstruction expands (and deflates!) with age. With all of this, I have to say--it's been one of the most intense, interesting chess games to try to figure out all of the options, all of the steps, how to advocate for myself the best...seriously, though--if you or someone you know is just learning how to navigate through all of this reach out--it's been a very illuminating last few weeks. I'm super positive and with the plan I've chosen--the likelihood of me contracting cancer on the right breast again is 1 to 3% (Numbers I feel pretty confident about) Thanks to everyone for all of your lovely cards, messages, hugs on the streets and kind words. The next little while will be tuff, but ok. And with the great folks I am blessed to have in my life, I know I'm going to be alright. xoxo"-Pollyanne Birge
Organizer and beneficiary
Holly Morgan
Organizer
Portland, OR
Pollyanne Birge
Beneficiary
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