Less of Me, More of Life

Our friend Donna Calkins has a dream and needs our help. 

“I’ve always hated my breasts. I’ve been a DDD since I was 11 years old and have dreamed of somehow making them smaller.”

Over tea on another day Donna shared, “I’m so embarrassed by them. People teased me about my breasts. Sometimes I try to make them look smaller, as best I can, and I’ve destroyed pictures where I think they stand out and would be noticed.”

In late 2016, as retirement approached, Donna began to contemplate the next chapter of her life. She envisioned herself 70 pounds lighter and with her breasts finally reduced in size. She did her homework and consulted with health experts, so she could do both safely and correctly. 

The 70 pounds have disappeared, and the next step, surgery, is set for mid September, 2018. However,  Donna will need to cover out of pocket and non-covered expenses, which can be hard with the limitations of retirement income. We want to change this experience for Donna.  


Our greatest concern for Donna are these very real risks, which she already experiences and her doctors confirmed will get worse with age, if she does not have the surgery:

- daily neck pain causing headaches

- shoulder and back pain

- permanent rounding of her shoulders and curving of her spine

As a strong, independent and powerfully accomplished woman, considering support from this GOFUNDME Campaign has been a humbling experience for Donna. Yet, with her permission, we’re writing to ask for your support.

It is an ask for a friend in need who we know would be the first there for us when we needed her.


In the old paradigm you would, for example, give $50 to somebody who needed help. In this new paradigm, using GOFUNDME, you'd give $50, and then invite others to match your support thereby, potentially, turning your gift into 10, 20, 50, or 100 people doing the same thing.

So, the $50 could turn into hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. This is the spirit of giving we intend to create for Donna.

We are reaching out to ask you to consider supporting Donna by helping us raise funds to offset the cost of her medically needed breast reduction surgery and preparing her to live a lighter life, yet fuller life.

Our goal is to raise $10,000 or more to help pay for Donna’s estimated surgery costs.

You can help support Donna by donating any amount you are comfortable with. 

As a suggestion, and to give you a sense of the impact your gift would make, here is a list of how your donation could be directly utilized:

1. $25 helps reduce the cost of surgical garments

2. $35 could provide a day’s worth of power snacks to bolster her

healing, post surgery

3. $50 could provide a day’s worth of post-surgery recovery meals

4. $75 could subsidize some of the medical tests Donna would need

5. $112 would provide support for costs associated with prescriptions for medication

6. $224 could help with the anaesthesia fees

7. $336 helps cover the cost of a visit from an in-home nurse

8. $672 could lighten the cost of the hospital or surgical facility costs

9. $1,120 would help with surgeon fees

Any gift you choose to contribute will make a tremendous difference and is deeply appreciated.

For the past 30 years Donna has been in pain, physically and emotionally, because of her breast size, and we’re excited with the potential of helping Donna become pain free and living the way she wants.

The surgery is a big step towards letting go, both literally and figuratively, and embracing a desire for freedom she has longed for for most of her life.


Please consider a gift. Thank you for your consideration.