Patricia Smith Breast Cancer Fund

Two weeks after my birthday in January of this year, I was diagnosed with the most aggressive grade of breast cancer possible.  It's called Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Grade 3, Triple Negative, Stage 2.  Breast cancer has ran in my family for a long time. My grandmother passed from it, my mother got it and is a survivor, and now I have it. I always thought that I would be older, in my 60s or 70s, as my mother and grandmother were, if I was going to get it. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case for me. I am less than half that age! I don't even know how I am going to tackle this, I am a single mom and live paycheck to paycheck and I have a 5 year old son. I can barely afford to support him and I have hardly no family left. I don't even know what is going to become of my future, I am so scared and I'm alone a lot, unmarried, and I want to to have a future and to see my son grow up and spend time with my precious little family. I have so many things I haven't been able to do yet in my life. I want to get married some day so much. I love life and I want to see more of the world. I have been doing all the things my doctors recommend to do to beat this and it's been so scary and extremely  painful, and expensive. I haven't been able to afford the copays and the treatments or medications anymore and the amount I owe just keeps growing with every doctor visit and every test and every procedure. I lived paycheck to paycheck before all this happened and had little savings, now all my savings is gone, and all my paid time off at work is used up.  I receive no pay on the days I have to take off for treatment or days I am too sick to come to work.  I've ran out of money and will have to pay it back when I am better some day. I try not to miss much work because I need the money, but it's harder to heal and get through the pain and the treatments when you can't rest as much as you like. Sometimes I am so exhausted I can't go to work even though I want to. I set this up as a way to maybe help make ends meet as I go through treatment and to help pay for the treatment since I am barely able to drag myself into work, I am so tired. The battle has just started and I don't know what I am going to do money wise throughout this but it seems impossible.
Please if you have any women in your life, urge them to get screened and do self exams, I lived in denial for years thinking I didn't need to worry quite yet, but when I felt a thickening in my breast several months ago the worst feeling of doom came over me and I haven't had a day of peace and tranquility since. The side effects of the chemotherapy are severe and I have constant headaches, my feet have both gone completely numb and my right knee has started to go numb. Of course I lost my hair and have horrible mouth sores and have constant brain fog from chemo and horrible memory as well, which makes it hard to remember things and hard to work. I have just also found out I need more surgery after chemotherapy is over. I am devastated. Then comes 2.5 months of radiation. I am beside myself, so scared.Thank god for my understanding bosses, Jessica, Janice, and Jake. I am living in constant fear and my stomach is constantly upset from the fear and the chemotherapy drugs. Please don't think it can't happen to you!
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to my story and for considering helping me.