My name is Michelle Yates, and I continue to recover and survive after Stage IIIB ER+, PR+, HER- Breast Cancer. Most recently, I completed phase II of my breast reconstruction surgery after cancer on February 5. I was off work for 8 days with NO PAY. I returned to work for 2 days and then unexpectedly was hospitalized for 3 days with a seroma, infection, and cellulitis. Currently, I have been off work with NO PAY for 5 days. I am home now on oral antibiotics and hopefully will return to work soon.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I am now having difficulty paying my medical bills as well as weekly bills. Additionally, I am a single mom with my 2 teenage daughters living with me and their brother on the weekend.

Last summer, I completed my DIEP flap breast reconstruction surgery on June 19, 2024. This was a major surgery—10 hours long, in the hospital for 4 days, with me being out of work for 8 weeks on STD. Five weeks after my DIEP flap, I developed cellulitis and infection and was hospitalized for 4 days on IV antibiotics.

That makes 11 days in the hospital in the last 8 months. Before breast cancer, I was a healthy person with no history of cancer in my family. Any help would be appreciated.

Love, Michelle