Help Diane Overcome Cancer
Donation protected
MEET DIANE
If we had to pick two words to describe our mother, Diane, we’d definitely go with KIND and GENEROUS. Her top priority is making sure everyone around her feels loved. 
Here are just a few examples of her kindness and generosity bringing goodness to the world:
- Even at times when money was tight, she donated to her church and made sure her children, grandchildren, family, and friends were remembered at birthdays and Christmas.
-She has spent decades working as a preschool and kindergarten teacher, bringing patience and support to children from all walks of life.
- She’s an animal advocate and provides a loving home to chickens, ferrets, and two Old English Sheepdogs who never leave her side. She has fostered many pets, rescued many others, and has been a lifelong member of the New England Old English Sheepdog Rescue.
- She has been an active member of the church, both at Holy Angels Parish in Plaistow, NH for more than 35 years and more recently with the Secular. Franciscan Order in Manchester, NH. She celebrated her rite of profession ceremony in April 2018. She has also served as a Sunday school teacher, a Eucharistic minister, and has been involved in countless efforts to help those less fortunate.
- She has served as commissioner for the Emerald Lake Village District, helping to ensure the residents of her community are well served and represented.
Diane has lived independently for the past 11 years and enriches her free time with a variety of projects, whether it be DIY thrifty renovations to her kitchen, building a chicken coop and raising hens, or collecting toys and books for children she teaches. 
She has three sons, two granddaughters, one daughter-in-law, and countless family and friends. Maybe you are one of them. Or maybe you could be soon. She’s great at making friends. Those that know her will agree, she is one of the kindest people alive.
Thanks for checking this GoFundMe thing out. We’re her sons, and while she is fighting this battle we are trying to help her as much as possible. We really appreciate you taking the time to learn more about our Mom and doing what you can to help out.
WHAT HAPPENED
In early 2018, Diane noticed a rash on her chest, and promptly sought medical advice. Her primary care provider prescribed antibiotics and the rash subsided. Nothing major, just a simply resolved medical hiccup. Right? 
Unfortunately, the rash soon came back, and she noticed a small lump. Astoundingly, her primary care provider was unsure how to proceed, and didn’t immediately take any action. It was only at Diane’s insistence that he referred her to the breast care facility at Concord Hospital. After multiple invasive tests, Diane received her diagnosis: Inflammatory Breast Cancer.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer is rare, accounting for less than 10% of all breast cancers, and is extremely invasive and fast-moving. Despite being one of the largest breast cancer centers in New Hampshire, Diane was only one of two cases of Inflammatory Breast Cancer diagnosed in 2018 at Concord Hospital.
Despite her incredible strength, faith, and independence, Diane is now facing the biggest challenge of her life and needs our help. 
HOW SHE’S GOING TO GET HEALTHY AGAIN
Significant advances in the treatment of Inflammatory Breast Cancer have been made in just the past 5 years. Due to the nature of Stage III Inflammatory Breast Cancer, the treatment is intensive, rigorous, and long. And as you might imagine, it will be extremely expensive.
Diane’s doctors have developed the following treatment plan:
1. November 2018 through March 2019: Chemotherapy. As of this writing, Diane has already undergone over 15 weeks of chemotherapy, with 6 more to go before moving on to the next phase of treatment. Due to the invasiveness of Stage III Inflammatory Breast Cancer, these treatments are physically and mentally exhausting and take a serious toll on the body, strength, and energy levels. As a result, Diane has had to drastically cut back on the hours she can work in a week, resulting in a sharp drop in her income.
2. April - May 2019: Double mastectomy with additional surgery to remove impacted lymph nodes and chest muscle, followed by 6 - 8 weeks of difficult recovery, during which she will not be able to work.
3. May - November 2019: Daily radiation therapy. After Diane has recovered from surgery, she will then begin the third phase of her treatment, daily radiation treatments for 6 months. During this time, she will have to drastically reduce the hours she can work to ensure she makes it to all of her appointments and deal with the side effects of radiation treatment.
4. November 2019 - June 2020: Maintenance chemotherapy and returning to normal. After radiation treatment is finished, Diane will be taking oral chemotherapy drugs for at least six months. During this period she hopes to return to work full time, and resume her life having beat cancer.
WHY DO WE NEED YOUR HELP?
As you can imagine, treatment for this rare form of breast cancer is expensive. Each chemotherapy treatment costs approximately $15,000, and the total cost of treatment is expected to exceed $500,000. Thankfully, Diane works full time and has medical insurance that is, thus far, covering the majority of the treatments. However, Diane is still responsible for paying co-pays, co-shares, and deductibles which add up quickly. Since her diagnosis in October, 2018, she has already paid close to $14,000 in out of pocket medical expenses, wiping out her savings and retirement accounts.
And it’s not just about medical bills.
Medical expenses aside, she has already had to sharply reduce her hours at her job as a preschool teacher. And with invasive surgery, recovery, months of daily radiation treatments, and a lot more appointments in 2019, it is looking like she will be unable to work for at least 2 months, and will have to work a reduced schedule for the a good portion of the year.
In a best case scenario, her income for the year is expected to drop nearly 30% for 2019.
Income that she'll use to keep her house running smoothly and warm, income to continue to pay for future medical bills. That money will NOT be coming in.
That’s why we’re setting this thing up. We want Diane to be able to get the rest she needs while she recovers. She shouldn’t have to worry at all everyday expenses like heat and groceries with what she's going through. She shouldn’t have to worry about being able to afford living in her modest home. 
YOU CAN HELP keep Diane afloat so she can come out on the other side of cancer right where she started: in her home, with her pets, surrounded by friends and family.
Give what you can and it will make a huge difference in Mom’s 2019, one of the most important years of her life.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
There are other ways to help besides money. Here are some ideas we like:
- Share this GoFundMe page with others
- Redeem your credit card points for gift cards which you can then give as a gift
- Shop at Amazon using the following link; if you enter their site using it, Diane is set up to get a commission on any sales: https://amzn.to/2BWF2f4
- All proceeds from sales of this children's book Diane's son created will go to this campaign: The Sheep and a Fence: A Gentle Story
- Coordinate setting up a communal donation at local businesses and organizations that you can later send to Diane or this fundraiser
- Drop meals off at her house
- Send notes of support to Diane
THINGS ARE MOVING FAST
However you can help, please don’t wait. We need things to happen quickly with this campaign if it’s going to work. In April, her income will drop to $0. She’ll already have incurred huge medical bills. Help us keep her above water through these next hard months.
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about our mother. 
If we had to pick two words to describe our mother, Diane, we’d definitely go with KIND and GENEROUS. Her top priority is making sure everyone around her feels loved. 
Here are just a few examples of her kindness and generosity bringing goodness to the world:
- Even at times when money was tight, she donated to her church and made sure her children, grandchildren, family, and friends were remembered at birthdays and Christmas.
-She has spent decades working as a preschool and kindergarten teacher, bringing patience and support to children from all walks of life.
- She’s an animal advocate and provides a loving home to chickens, ferrets, and two Old English Sheepdogs who never leave her side. She has fostered many pets, rescued many others, and has been a lifelong member of the New England Old English Sheepdog Rescue.
- She has been an active member of the church, both at Holy Angels Parish in Plaistow, NH for more than 35 years and more recently with the Secular. Franciscan Order in Manchester, NH. She celebrated her rite of profession ceremony in April 2018. She has also served as a Sunday school teacher, a Eucharistic minister, and has been involved in countless efforts to help those less fortunate.
- She has served as commissioner for the Emerald Lake Village District, helping to ensure the residents of her community are well served and represented.
Diane has lived independently for the past 11 years and enriches her free time with a variety of projects, whether it be DIY thrifty renovations to her kitchen, building a chicken coop and raising hens, or collecting toys and books for children she teaches. 
She has three sons, two granddaughters, one daughter-in-law, and countless family and friends. Maybe you are one of them. Or maybe you could be soon. She’s great at making friends. Those that know her will agree, she is one of the kindest people alive.
Thanks for checking this GoFundMe thing out. We’re her sons, and while she is fighting this battle we are trying to help her as much as possible. We really appreciate you taking the time to learn more about our Mom and doing what you can to help out.
WHAT HAPPENED
In early 2018, Diane noticed a rash on her chest, and promptly sought medical advice. Her primary care provider prescribed antibiotics and the rash subsided. Nothing major, just a simply resolved medical hiccup. Right? 
Unfortunately, the rash soon came back, and she noticed a small lump. Astoundingly, her primary care provider was unsure how to proceed, and didn’t immediately take any action. It was only at Diane’s insistence that he referred her to the breast care facility at Concord Hospital. After multiple invasive tests, Diane received her diagnosis: Inflammatory Breast Cancer.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer is rare, accounting for less than 10% of all breast cancers, and is extremely invasive and fast-moving. Despite being one of the largest breast cancer centers in New Hampshire, Diane was only one of two cases of Inflammatory Breast Cancer diagnosed in 2018 at Concord Hospital.
Despite her incredible strength, faith, and independence, Diane is now facing the biggest challenge of her life and needs our help. 
HOW SHE’S GOING TO GET HEALTHY AGAIN
Significant advances in the treatment of Inflammatory Breast Cancer have been made in just the past 5 years. Due to the nature of Stage III Inflammatory Breast Cancer, the treatment is intensive, rigorous, and long. And as you might imagine, it will be extremely expensive.
Diane’s doctors have developed the following treatment plan:
1. November 2018 through March 2019: Chemotherapy. As of this writing, Diane has already undergone over 15 weeks of chemotherapy, with 6 more to go before moving on to the next phase of treatment. Due to the invasiveness of Stage III Inflammatory Breast Cancer, these treatments are physically and mentally exhausting and take a serious toll on the body, strength, and energy levels. As a result, Diane has had to drastically cut back on the hours she can work in a week, resulting in a sharp drop in her income.
2. April - May 2019: Double mastectomy with additional surgery to remove impacted lymph nodes and chest muscle, followed by 6 - 8 weeks of difficult recovery, during which she will not be able to work.
3. May - November 2019: Daily radiation therapy. After Diane has recovered from surgery, she will then begin the third phase of her treatment, daily radiation treatments for 6 months. During this time, she will have to drastically reduce the hours she can work to ensure she makes it to all of her appointments and deal with the side effects of radiation treatment.
4. November 2019 - June 2020: Maintenance chemotherapy and returning to normal. After radiation treatment is finished, Diane will be taking oral chemotherapy drugs for at least six months. During this period she hopes to return to work full time, and resume her life having beat cancer.
WHY DO WE NEED YOUR HELP?
As you can imagine, treatment for this rare form of breast cancer is expensive. Each chemotherapy treatment costs approximately $15,000, and the total cost of treatment is expected to exceed $500,000. Thankfully, Diane works full time and has medical insurance that is, thus far, covering the majority of the treatments. However, Diane is still responsible for paying co-pays, co-shares, and deductibles which add up quickly. Since her diagnosis in October, 2018, she has already paid close to $14,000 in out of pocket medical expenses, wiping out her savings and retirement accounts.
And it’s not just about medical bills.
Medical expenses aside, she has already had to sharply reduce her hours at her job as a preschool teacher. And with invasive surgery, recovery, months of daily radiation treatments, and a lot more appointments in 2019, it is looking like she will be unable to work for at least 2 months, and will have to work a reduced schedule for the a good portion of the year.
In a best case scenario, her income for the year is expected to drop nearly 30% for 2019.
Income that she'll use to keep her house running smoothly and warm, income to continue to pay for future medical bills. That money will NOT be coming in.
That’s why we’re setting this thing up. We want Diane to be able to get the rest she needs while she recovers. She shouldn’t have to worry at all everyday expenses like heat and groceries with what she's going through. She shouldn’t have to worry about being able to afford living in her modest home. 
YOU CAN HELP keep Diane afloat so she can come out on the other side of cancer right where she started: in her home, with her pets, surrounded by friends and family.
Give what you can and it will make a huge difference in Mom’s 2019, one of the most important years of her life.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
There are other ways to help besides money. Here are some ideas we like:
- Share this GoFundMe page with others
- Redeem your credit card points for gift cards which you can then give as a gift
- Shop at Amazon using the following link; if you enter their site using it, Diane is set up to get a commission on any sales: https://amzn.to/2BWF2f4
- All proceeds from sales of this children's book Diane's son created will go to this campaign: The Sheep and a Fence: A Gentle Story
- Coordinate setting up a communal donation at local businesses and organizations that you can later send to Diane or this fundraiser
- Drop meals off at her house
- Send notes of support to Diane
THINGS ARE MOVING FAST
However you can help, please don’t wait. We need things to happen quickly with this campaign if it’s going to work. In April, her income will drop to $0. She’ll already have incurred huge medical bills. Help us keep her above water through these next hard months.
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about our mother. 
Fundraising team: Diane's Sons (3)
Brian Cunningham
Organizer
Hillsborough, NH
Diane Cunningham
Beneficiary
Tim Cunningham
Team member
Joey Cunningham
Team member
