Help Amanda battle breast cancer

I was diagnosed with breast cancer on February 19, 2025. I have had a lump for two years which has been monitored. There had been no concern in previous testing (ultrasound and MRI) however in early February, it looked highly suspicious on ultrasound. I quickly had a mammogram and biopsies on both breasts. The lump in my right breast is cancerous. I am still waiting to hear about the status of the calcification in my left breast. My lymph nodes look slightly enlarged. The biopsy of the lymph nodes tested was inconclusive as they could not find cancer however they could not say definitively as they would have preferred a larger sample to assess. The MRI of my chest did not show any other cancerous areas. I will be undergoing additional testing before starting chemotherapy in the next couple of weeks to determine if the cancer has spread.

Currently, it looks like my treatment will be 6 months of chemotherapy, surgery (probably a double mastectomy), followed by more chemo or possibly radiation. I will also be going through hormone suppression treatment.

I am so grateful to have the support of my family and friends. My partner Kelly and my 22 month old daughter Molly are my life. I'll be turning 41 in March.

I am asking for any support people could offer. I have listed some of the anticipated expenses below.

Medical expenses:

-Medication costs beyond what my health plan covers.

-Massage therapy to help with pain from chemo and to prevent fluid buildup after surgery. My insurance will only cover $400 per year which will cover about 3 massages.

-Counselling. My insurance will cover less than 7 sessions. I can access the EAP program but it is limited in the number of sessions.

-Post-surgery expenses such as compression sleeves, mastectomy pillow, special shirts with drain holders.

-Hospital parking (small but adds up)

Living expenses:

Although I am so lucky that my partner has a good paying job, my illness will impact our finances.For the past two years, my income has been limited. From January 2023 until early March 2024, I was on medical and maternity leave as I gave birth in April 2023. The position I was at before having my daughter was no longer an option due to travel requirements and due to the lack of childcare, I had no income until October 2024 when I started working part time at Chapters and the comedy club.

As I have been working part time, low wage jobs since returning to work, I have no long term disability coverage. I will qualify for EI sickness benefits however they will be very limited ($200 per week less than my maternity leave). These benefits are only available for 26 weeks although my treatment will last around a year.

I am unsure if I will be able to work at all in the next year. Some people are able to work some during treatment and some are too ill. As both of my jobs are public facing positions, I also am concerned about my exposure to illnesses while I’m immunocompromised.

Thank you all so much