F-ck Cancer! Please help my friend, Shayna

This is my friend, Shayna. She is highly-driven, perceptive, razor-sharp, and deeply compassionate. She is 23 years old, and just recently graduated from Florida International University with a BA in Natural Sciences. She was ready to get her life started, celebrating her graduation and making plans to take over the world, when her optimistic universe was turned upside-down. In February of this year, only months after graduating, Shayna was diagnosed with breast cancer.

But here's another thing about Shayna - she never backs down from a fight. She met this disease with her dukes up - attending chemo treatments each week, trying to stay fit and healthy, all while working full-time at a restaurant to make ends meet. And still, she appears each day in full uniform with a smile on her face.

This type of fearlessness would be admirable for any patient, but it is even more remarkable given that Shayna is no stranger to cancer. She lost her mother to the disease when she was just 13 years old. Shayna has since had to navigate this world largely on her own, and this fight is no different. She is fortunate to have the help of a few loved ones and close friends, but she’ll need a little extra help.

With her surgery scheduled for next month, she soon won't be able to work at all. She is expecting her recovery to last six weeks, and she just needs some extra funds to get by. Anything anyone can spare would be greatly appreciated. Trust me when I say no amount is too small.

The money will be used for medical bills, rent, food - the basics. She just needs enough to survive. I know cancer is a rampant disease, and many of us have been affected by it in one way or another. The epidemic claimed my own mother just last year, and so this cause is especially important to me. I want to thank you in advance for anything you can do, anything you can spare. It's amazing how quickly $5 can add up. And I promise Shayna will be eternally grateful.