Caring for Crystal
Donation protected
Hi all,
I'm Jodi, proud big sister of one of the most caring and bravest people that I know. On Friday, March 4th my sister Crystal received some of the hardest news that a young woman could hear. She was told that she had Invasive Ductile Carcinoma (breast cancer).
Before I go on I want to say Crystal has given me permission to share her WHOLE story, which started a few weeks prior.
On February 12th, Crystal and her boyfriend found out they were pregnant. They hadn’t planned this exciting turn of events because Robbie had not thought it to be possible for him to have children and Crystal had always planned to adopt in the future and took precautions not to become pregnant. Crystal went to the hospital to confirm the news.
While at the hospital she had asked the radiologist to take a look at a lump in her right breast that had been present there for over a year. Since she is young and quite active and breast cancer is not something that runs in our family, she really did not think anything of it. Good thing she did! Copley hospital was able to get Crystal in for an emergency biopsy and just a few days later she was called and told she was positive for breast cancer.
Now here we are a month later and Crystal, who should be celebrating this baby with her boyfriend, has to fight breast cancer.
Crystal is an amazing second grade teacher at a small beautiful private school who unfortunately does not offer insurance like public schools do. Since Crystal is young, active and healthy, and having a baby was unplanned, she never thought to get insurance that would cover such large operations. Which is why I am asking for the help of friends and family to support her with such a financial burden.
Additionally, Robbie (her boyfriend) was temporarily laid off from his VT job a few weeks prior to finding all of this out. He will be needing to return to a previous job on a dredge that travels up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Here he will work 3 weeks on and 1 week off (he will come back home to help out during that week every month). It is unfortunate that they have to take these steps to stay afloat but they are fighters and won't give up!
A question you may have is.... Can you even have a child while treating cancer? There are many complications attached to this question. Crystal and Robbie met with her team to discuss all of this. The cancer Crystal has is a type that can spread but since she is pregnant she is unable to get a full body scan to see if it has traveled anywhere else in her body. She is unable to receive radiation therapy to ensure the cancer does not travel until after the birth of her child. When Crystal begins her 2nd trimester of her pregnancy she will get a full mastectomy. This will be followed by 2 - 3 weeks of recovery time and by the 3rd trimester or right after her pregnancy she will likely need chemo and hormone therapy.
If you know Crystal, you know she has a huge heart and has already gone through more than one should go through in a lifetime. You know that her friends are not only her friends but her family and her job is her passion. She values her relationships with each and every one of you as well as with her families at her school.
Let's together make this journey for Crystal a little easier. It will truly take a village.
If you would like to just send her a check, a gift or a card with well wishes directly please reach out for her mailing address or Venmo username.
We will keep this page updated with her progress.
I'm Jodi, proud big sister of one of the most caring and bravest people that I know. On Friday, March 4th my sister Crystal received some of the hardest news that a young woman could hear. She was told that she had Invasive Ductile Carcinoma (breast cancer).
Before I go on I want to say Crystal has given me permission to share her WHOLE story, which started a few weeks prior.
On February 12th, Crystal and her boyfriend found out they were pregnant. They hadn’t planned this exciting turn of events because Robbie had not thought it to be possible for him to have children and Crystal had always planned to adopt in the future and took precautions not to become pregnant. Crystal went to the hospital to confirm the news.
While at the hospital she had asked the radiologist to take a look at a lump in her right breast that had been present there for over a year. Since she is young and quite active and breast cancer is not something that runs in our family, she really did not think anything of it. Good thing she did! Copley hospital was able to get Crystal in for an emergency biopsy and just a few days later she was called and told she was positive for breast cancer.
Now here we are a month later and Crystal, who should be celebrating this baby with her boyfriend, has to fight breast cancer.
Crystal is an amazing second grade teacher at a small beautiful private school who unfortunately does not offer insurance like public schools do. Since Crystal is young, active and healthy, and having a baby was unplanned, she never thought to get insurance that would cover such large operations. Which is why I am asking for the help of friends and family to support her with such a financial burden.
Additionally, Robbie (her boyfriend) was temporarily laid off from his VT job a few weeks prior to finding all of this out. He will be needing to return to a previous job on a dredge that travels up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Here he will work 3 weeks on and 1 week off (he will come back home to help out during that week every month). It is unfortunate that they have to take these steps to stay afloat but they are fighters and won't give up!
A question you may have is.... Can you even have a child while treating cancer? There are many complications attached to this question. Crystal and Robbie met with her team to discuss all of this. The cancer Crystal has is a type that can spread but since she is pregnant she is unable to get a full body scan to see if it has traveled anywhere else in her body. She is unable to receive radiation therapy to ensure the cancer does not travel until after the birth of her child. When Crystal begins her 2nd trimester of her pregnancy she will get a full mastectomy. This will be followed by 2 - 3 weeks of recovery time and by the 3rd trimester or right after her pregnancy she will likely need chemo and hormone therapy.
If you know Crystal, you know she has a huge heart and has already gone through more than one should go through in a lifetime. You know that her friends are not only her friends but her family and her job is her passion. She values her relationships with each and every one of you as well as with her families at her school.
Let's together make this journey for Crystal a little easier. It will truly take a village.
If you would like to just send her a check, a gift or a card with well wishes directly please reach out for her mailing address or Venmo username.
We will keep this page updated with her progress.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jodi Lebrun
Organizer
Plymouth, VT
Crystal Greene
Beneficiary