Tessa Allen, your favorite friendly, colorful, punk, homeschooling mom, (former) tax pro, rock n' roller, will be losing her beautiful pink hair for a while. She has Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin's Follicular Lymphoma, which we are told responds very well to treatment. Because there is the possibility of a different, more sinister lymphoma lurking about, we have decided to jump into chemotherapy right away. The docs say the prospects are good, but chemo is still a terribly unpleasant thing to go through, from what we hear. We intend to use diet, acupuncture, and any other holistic therapies we can to support Tessa's body during this time.

Fortunately, we do have (ACA Marketplace, Obamacare) insurance for this year, but it doesn't cover everything. In addition to doctor and prescription bills, we have a pretty hefty dental bill (crown) we are paying off. The money raised will be used for cancer treatment and to get additional support and structures up and running that we need for this journey. We are so thankful for your support over the years. Much love, Nate & Tessa, Elbie & Electra.

For those who haven't seen us in a while, here's our general update. Tessa sold her tax business last year to focus on being a mom and recover from burnout. Nate is a licensed LMFT and now runs a small mental health therapy business. He's in his first year of this new phase of self-employment and has been expanding his experience and education to include many new skills (like psychodrama, somatic healing, and enmeshment). We still play rock n' roll together, with a couple of albums' worth of new songs to record at some point. Elbie just turned 9 and is homeschooled. She currently loves playing with our 2 cats, Purrington and Pom Pom, and likes going to fiber arts class. Electra will turn 6 in December. She's rocking Kindergarten and loves her gymnastics class. We feel blessed but could definitely use all the support we can get in this season:

Besides donating, you could also hop on the meal train, help us with babysitting, or talk to Nate about some of the home repairs he's tackling to make our house safer and more functional.