This is my long-time friend from high school, Charlene Miller-Jones. She has been a single mom for a very long time. She has a grown daughter, Jackie Jones, whom I have watched grow up and have had as my student at Service High School for a couple of semesters. Now, Jackie and her partner, Dakota, have blessed Charlene with a beautiful grandson, Silas. Charlene is still raising her 15-year-old son, Larry, alone. Larry is currently attending Wasilla High School and is on the soccer team. She has worked at Costco on Dimond in Anchorage, Alaska for 11 years. You may have seen her there from time to time. She has been a great friend to many and, on more than one occasion, has rushed to the aid of others, myself included. She is, also, a very supportive and dedicated single mom.

Here’s where things really got complicated… On September 15, 2015, she noticed a lump in her breast and alerted her doctor. She found out that she had stage 3 breast cancer. She has gone through 20 weeks of chemotherapy since then and had great results; the tumor shrinkage was 78%.

TODAY, April 18, 2016 is surgery day; Dr. Bleicher will remove one breast, as the cancer is localized. She will require radiation after surgery, and will need to be off work to heal. Her medical bills are piling up, and, after a 2-day stay at Providence, she will have about 10 days at Hickel House for recovery. Then, she has no place to go to complete her recovery and begin radiation. A string of unfortunate circumstances have left her without housing; the last place she had arranged fell through due to unavailable funds following a mishap at her former banking institution (which I will decline to name). She is, also, very worried about Larry being in flux without a permanent place to call home.

Please help her financially if you are able. If you are not able to help her financially, please pray for her healing and for funds to pay medical as well as housing bills so she can focus on recovery to be there for Larry and to watch her grandson, Silas, grow up. AND – please share this message with those you know in hopes that they will pray for her and be able to assist her with her current financial and housing crisis.

Charlene asks all women to do regular breast self-exams, have an annual women’s health visit with their doctor, and yearly mammograms after 40. God bless…

This Go Fund Me page has been initiated by Kelly Saloka and Jackie Jones.