Maldonado’s Minis-Her fight is our fight

Hi, my name is Amanda Greene, and my son Madden Stowell was a student of Sara Maldonado’s at Menands Elementary.

update as of APRIL 29,2024

Sara had had a brain scan and full body scan over the past week.

Receiving wonderful news, that all but one lesion in her brain was gone. To hear the following second that the scan that was done the week before of her neck came back that the cancer has spread there.

This family has been on a roller coaster ride since day one and can’t seem to catch a break.

Sara also found out from her full body scan that a few areas shrunk, but it grew in more areas and because of that treatment was stopped bc the chemo obviously isn’t working hoping a plan can be made to start something else.

Talking with Sara ‘s mom and hearing how much pain sara is in is heartbreaking.

Looking at her on Instagram no one would ever know what is truly going on with her and her family.

She is the strongest young woman I know and can’t imagine the daily struggles the entire family is going through.

Sara has two small children that she loves more than anything and wants to make sure they are ok.

she puts on a good front for them and her family without thinking of her needs. Her children and family love her and want her to live her life being able to enjoy her children as long as she can.

Sara’s dad took the entire family to Disney in Hawai’i so they could make wonderful memories.

Sara and Tom were able to renew their vows with their family there to support them.

I’m sure this trip took alot out of Sara but it was something that meant the world to her.

She was able to go see her son in his first school play, Her daughter start a dance class and attend the few other things they do.

Please keep Sara and her entire family In your thoughts and prayers.

Hoping they can find a plan bc the cancer Sara has is a rapid growing cancer and she has a lot to live for .

She is a fighter and as her family has named her a real BADASS. She is a fighter and will fight till she can’t fight anymore.

No one fights alone in this family.

UPDATE AS OF March 30

I want to give an update as to what has been going on with Sara.

In mid Dec Sara received more bad news, the cancer had spread again .

it has gone to her lungs,liver, spine, chest wall,hip,brain and is in the bones as well.

She is also receiving a bone strengthener in a form of shots and is having side effects from that.

sara isn’t allowed to drive due to the grand mal seizure and emergency brain surgery. Her mom drives her to every appt Sara’s May have. Sometimes she has 2-3 a week.

Sara is very open and willing to share her journey with everyone, with hopes that maybe her journey will help one person.

Sara’s positive attitude is what I believe has made her journey what it is.

As a mom I can’t imagine how she felt having to sit down and tell her 5 year old she would be going to heaven, this is something that was done a few weeks ago as a family. From my understanding Sara and her mom have also started some planning for the next phase, again something no parent should have to go through especially a mom of two young children.

She is one strong person, she never complains, or cries , she may do it in private but never for others to see, she is always smiling, full of life, positive and an inspiration to all.

Knowing that money may be needed for any up coming arrangements or anything this family may need,

I would like to help make sure the money will be there if and when it’s needed.

i would like to see this money being put away for the children’s future.

bills,

Future arrangements,

making memories

Having this extra money can help give the two small children a great future, whether it’s for school, any activities they may want to do, clothes, trips etc.. . I know Sara loves watching her children participating in activities and making memories so this is a wonderful way for this to continue.

The entire family has been through so much and it will only be getting harder.

If if we can take some stress away from other things it would mean a lot to me

Sara took a leave from teaching after the holiday break, she started doing a trial at Sloan Kettering , her and her family had hopes that it would help .

unfortunately the end of Jan 2024 Sara had a grand mal seizure, she was taken to the hospital and had test done. It was determined the cancer had spread to her brain. She had emergency surgery to remove one of 12 lesions from her brain.

She finished radiation about two weeks ago. The radiation was suppose to help shrink take away two of the 11 tumors. It’s unsure if that has happened and will be having a brain scan shortly.

Sara just had her second round of chemo- every three weeks she is having that and will be having a full body scan in early April.

She is an inspiration to everyone who knows and doesn’t know her. She is a fighter and will continue to fight as long as she can.

Sara not only has triple negative aggressive and invasive cancer but hormonal cancer as well, these things are extremely rare. to have cancer come back in same location and to have another form of cancer

Having two kinds of cancer makes it harder to pinpoint an option to use to fight it.

In May 2023 she was given a prognosis of time, which is something no one wants to hear, especially a mom of a 5 year old and a 2 year old.

Unfortunately treatments don’t seem to be working way they had hoped.

It is keeping the cancer from growing rapidly but it is still growing.

Sara is not only an amazing teacher, but she is a amazing mother of two beautiful children, a wife, daughter, sister, friend, niece.

Sara has impacted my son in ways I could never imagine a teacher being able to do.

I have seen so much growth in my child since he started and it just shows what an amazing person she really is. She always has a smile on her face and has the true patience of a saint.

Seeing that she is a mom of young ones, and teaches little minds everyday, I came up with the name “Maldonado’s Minis” as a team name for supporting Sara.

This fundraiser is to help her and her family with any and hopefully all expenses thrown their way, and to know that she has a whole team of people who are fighting right along side her.

Being a teacher is hard enough but to be doing it while battling the fight of your life is more than anyone should have to go through.

I am doing this go fund me not only to help with Sara’s bills( medical, regular, funeral expenses,etc..) but to help her make memories for those two little children.

If you could donate that’s wonderful, if you can’t, sharing it with all you know would be amazing as well. Thank you for helping me help someone who has made a difference in my son’s life.

if you would like to follow sara on Instagram I highly recommend it, she will change your way of thinking and it will definitely make you want to help her fight that much more

saraolsen05 ( Sara Maldonado)is her name on instagram