Hi everyone,

I’m writing this on behalf of my best friend, someone I love deeply and admire more than words can express. Three years ago, when she was just 30 years old, her life was turned upside down by a diagnosis of stage 3 colon cancer.

Since then, I’ve watched her face a battle no one should ever have to endure. She has undergone multiple massive surgeries, extensive chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. One of those surgeries resulted in a permanent colostomy bag — a life-altering outcome that she has faced with incredible strength and resilience. Even after that, the cancer returned twice: once in her lung, requiring additional surgery, and again in her pelvis, where she needed specialized radiation treatment.

As if the physical toll wasn’t enough, she recently received heartbreaking news. Due to the cumulative effects of chemotherapy and radiation, she is no longer able to have children naturally or through egg freezing. It’s a profound loss, especially for someone who was so young when this journey began.

That said, she still holds hope for the future. Adoption is a wonderful option she hopes to pursue one day, and while that path brings its own emotional and financial challenges, it represents hope, love, and the possibility of building a family in a different — but equally meaningful — way.

Outside of cancer, she is a nurse practitioner, someone who has dedicated her life to caring for others even while quietly fighting for her own health. She lives in Chicago, far from her family in Boston, which has made this journey even more isolating. On the hardest days, her two beloved tuxedo cats are often her closest companions and source of comfort.

I’m starting this GoFundMe because the financial burden of long-term cancer care has become overwhelming. The funds raised will help cover previous medical bills not fully covered with insurance and future adoption-related expenses as she looks ahead with hope.

She has shown courage, grace, and determination through every stage of this fight, but no one should have to face something like this alone. My hope is that by coming together, we can ease the financial stress so she can focus on healing, continuing treatment, and imagining a future beyond cancer.

Any donation, no matter the size, will make a meaningful difference. If you’re unable to give, sharing this page is just as appreciated and helps more than you know.

Thank you for taking the time to read her story and for showing her the love and support she so deeply deserves. Your kindness means the world to her — and to all of us who love her.

With gratitude,

Emily