Help Babette Fight Ovarian Cancer
Donation protected
In Babette's own words:
In October of 2018, I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. I am now fighting for my life and I need your help.
There is never a good time to have cancer, especially ovarian cancer, but this diagnosis came at an especially bad time in my financial life. I am a nutritional therapist and roaming personal chef for people with chronic illness. Last year I took a leap and had just started to launch a line of healthy sweets. It required an incredible amount of time, and most of my savings.
The cancer arrived with no warning (often the case with ovarian cancer) and is aggressive. It’s a cancer that defies a lot of treatments, but there is absolutely hope with a fast and concentrated protocol.
We all believe that if we live responsibly, work hard and have insurance, we will be able to weather most hardships—until the bottom falls out. The financial piece of this journey is daunting, to say the least. I was lucky - I marshaled every resource I had and with the help of family, good friends, and initial Go Fund Me and personal donations, I was able to get myself to a place where I could get good care.
I’ve had to give up my work and home and put my pets into “foster care” in order to move closer to a treatment center that has had better success with my diagnosis than the resources where I lived. For the past 5 weeks, I’ve been living in a motel across the country and I spend my days at a cancer clinic. Treatment is five days per week and up to eight hours per day. Although I tend to put a happy face on it, it can be exhausting and I never know how I'm going to feel from day to day.
Most important in my life is Julien. I am a single mom of this beautiful 17-year-old on the cusp of adulthood. He is a senior in high school—Julien is kind and funny, quirky and smart. We’ve been lucky to have a great relationship. Until five weeks ago, my son and I took regular walks together in the woods near our home and talked about things happening at work, how to pick the right college, what to stress in his college essay, how lucky he is to have found his girlfriend, and of course, his car.
Julien is mature and confident, but he still needs his “miman” - this I know deeply as I lost my own mother suddenly when I was just a bit older than he is now. I want him to know I am here for him as he finishes growing up and finds himself in the world. He starts college in August and I want to drop him off and stock his dorm room (with healthy snacks, of course). I want to be there in the background so he knows he can reach out for that unshakable love and support that only moms can offer.
Julien has moved in with his father in VA where he goes to high school and where his friends and support system are, and I try to talk to him daily. It’s hard with the time difference. I want his senior year in high school to be the best that it can. He’s strong and positive, but with every day, I can feel the reality sinking in for him.
Treatment had been going very well from the end of November through December, but I tapped out my resources. And beating this cancer takes a lot of money. At this time (early January) I am doing minimal treatment to keep things stable while figuring other ways to get funds and waiting for more donations to come through so I can start the harder-hitting therapies back up. My treatment from now (January) through May will cost $78,000, and has already cost $40,000.
Julien graduates from high school in May and I want to be there when he tosses his hat. I want to give him a huge hug and celebrate with family and friends as my heart explodes with pride.
I need your help in any way you can offer – a donation, a post, a share. It’s going to take a lot of small acts of kindness to beat this.
Thank you with all my heart.
In October of 2018, I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. I am now fighting for my life and I need your help.
There is never a good time to have cancer, especially ovarian cancer, but this diagnosis came at an especially bad time in my financial life. I am a nutritional therapist and roaming personal chef for people with chronic illness. Last year I took a leap and had just started to launch a line of healthy sweets. It required an incredible amount of time, and most of my savings.
The cancer arrived with no warning (often the case with ovarian cancer) and is aggressive. It’s a cancer that defies a lot of treatments, but there is absolutely hope with a fast and concentrated protocol.
We all believe that if we live responsibly, work hard and have insurance, we will be able to weather most hardships—until the bottom falls out. The financial piece of this journey is daunting, to say the least. I was lucky - I marshaled every resource I had and with the help of family, good friends, and initial Go Fund Me and personal donations, I was able to get myself to a place where I could get good care.
I’ve had to give up my work and home and put my pets into “foster care” in order to move closer to a treatment center that has had better success with my diagnosis than the resources where I lived. For the past 5 weeks, I’ve been living in a motel across the country and I spend my days at a cancer clinic. Treatment is five days per week and up to eight hours per day. Although I tend to put a happy face on it, it can be exhausting and I never know how I'm going to feel from day to day.
Most important in my life is Julien. I am a single mom of this beautiful 17-year-old on the cusp of adulthood. He is a senior in high school—Julien is kind and funny, quirky and smart. We’ve been lucky to have a great relationship. Until five weeks ago, my son and I took regular walks together in the woods near our home and talked about things happening at work, how to pick the right college, what to stress in his college essay, how lucky he is to have found his girlfriend, and of course, his car.
Julien is mature and confident, but he still needs his “miman” - this I know deeply as I lost my own mother suddenly when I was just a bit older than he is now. I want him to know I am here for him as he finishes growing up and finds himself in the world. He starts college in August and I want to drop him off and stock his dorm room (with healthy snacks, of course). I want to be there in the background so he knows he can reach out for that unshakable love and support that only moms can offer.
Julien has moved in with his father in VA where he goes to high school and where his friends and support system are, and I try to talk to him daily. It’s hard with the time difference. I want his senior year in high school to be the best that it can. He’s strong and positive, but with every day, I can feel the reality sinking in for him.
Treatment had been going very well from the end of November through December, but I tapped out my resources. And beating this cancer takes a lot of money. At this time (early January) I am doing minimal treatment to keep things stable while figuring other ways to get funds and waiting for more donations to come through so I can start the harder-hitting therapies back up. My treatment from now (January) through May will cost $78,000, and has already cost $40,000.
Julien graduates from high school in May and I want to be there when he tosses his hat. I want to give him a huge hug and celebrate with family and friends as my heart explodes with pride.
I need your help in any way you can offer – a donation, a post, a share. It’s going to take a lot of small acts of kindness to beat this.
Thank you with all my heart.
Fundraising team: Team Babette! (2)
Winnie Choi
Organizer
Newtown Township, PA
Elizabeth Lamarre
Beneficiary
Babette Lamarre
Team member
