Help Anna beat cancer!
Donation protected
I met Anna and Jesse when their daughter, Delilah, joined our kids’ kindergarten class in 2016. The kids got along beautifully (having hour long, complex conversations as 5 year olds ) and our families became friends like we had known each other for years.
Late this July, Anna sent me a text:
“Well, I popped positive ”
“What does that MEAN?!” I replied.
“It means I have cancer.”
My friend, Anna. Cracking jokes in what had to be the scariest moment of her life.❤️
It was serious enough that doctors had her in surgery for a radical hysterectomy within a week.
She made it through a major abdominal surgery, and we waited impatiently for the good results of “we got it all.”
Unfortunately, good results did not come. The biopsy brought a diagnosis of Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma, a very rare and aggressive form of cervical cancer. Along with a radical hysterectomy, treatment requires intense chemo and radiation therapy for months. It is a cancer that “doesn’t like to behave,” as her doctors put it.
“Ok. We have a plan. Let’s do this.” Anna says as she stands in her kitchen, clutching at a still strangely painful incision.
Painful because of a severe suture reaction, which lead to an infection, and the need for a second surgery. (As if cancer and ONE surgery isn’t enough!)
Surgery number two made her miss Delilah’s first day of third grade. Jesse, amazing dad that he is, put on his bravest face and escorted Delilah to her first day of school, while Anna was hospitalized an hour away. Surgery number two was a success, and Anna should be home next week to start chemo.
I love this family.
They are looking at hard times ahead, many more days of “brave faces” when they don’t feel brave at all. The physical and emotional toll is just starting. So is the financial toll. Medical bills, rent, and the grocery store don’t really care if you have cancer and can’t go to work. Disability insurance doesn’t cover the expenses.
If you can, please donate to help them while Anna fights the battle of her life. We will all be eternally grateful.
Late this July, Anna sent me a text:
“Well, I popped positive ”
“What does that MEAN?!” I replied.
“It means I have cancer.”
My friend, Anna. Cracking jokes in what had to be the scariest moment of her life.❤️
It was serious enough that doctors had her in surgery for a radical hysterectomy within a week.
She made it through a major abdominal surgery, and we waited impatiently for the good results of “we got it all.”
Unfortunately, good results did not come. The biopsy brought a diagnosis of Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma, a very rare and aggressive form of cervical cancer. Along with a radical hysterectomy, treatment requires intense chemo and radiation therapy for months. It is a cancer that “doesn’t like to behave,” as her doctors put it.
“Ok. We have a plan. Let’s do this.” Anna says as she stands in her kitchen, clutching at a still strangely painful incision.
Painful because of a severe suture reaction, which lead to an infection, and the need for a second surgery. (As if cancer and ONE surgery isn’t enough!)
Surgery number two made her miss Delilah’s first day of third grade. Jesse, amazing dad that he is, put on his bravest face and escorted Delilah to her first day of school, while Anna was hospitalized an hour away. Surgery number two was a success, and Anna should be home next week to start chemo.
I love this family.
They are looking at hard times ahead, many more days of “brave faces” when they don’t feel brave at all. The physical and emotional toll is just starting. So is the financial toll. Medical bills, rent, and the grocery store don’t really care if you have cancer and can’t go to work. Disability insurance doesn’t cover the expenses.
If you can, please donate to help them while Anna fights the battle of her life. We will all be eternally grateful.
Organizer and beneficiary
Shannon Cloninger
Organizer
Sebastopol, CA
Anna Taylor
Beneficiary
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