- T
- M
Dear Community,
We're sharing this on behalf of our beloved friend T and her sweet dog, Nino, as she faces one of the most challenging seasons of her life.
What began with a frightening ER visit in March—severe abdominal pain, a four-day hospitalization, and the discovery of multiple tumors—has become a complex and ongoing medical journey. After months of testing and specialist visits, T was diagnosed in June with Benign Metastasizing Leiomyoma (BML), an extraordinarily rare condition. And this week, she received another devastating blow: a cancer diagnosis, with surgery scheduled for Thursday, December 4th.
The full extent of treatment—including whether she will need chemotherapy or additional procedures—will not be known until after surgery and pathology results.
This fall, T began her MFA at Alfred University—a dream she poured her heart into making real. Even in her first semester, she has already made a tremendous impact on campus as an artist using glass as a medium to express the pain, hope, and transformation that she has faced. Now she is navigating her continuing education while facing this medical crisis.
About BML
BML is a condition in which non-cancerous fibroid tumors spread to other parts of the body. T's case is so uncommon that it is being reviewed by a tumor board comprised of specialists from UCSF, Stanford, UC-Davis, UCLA, and Sutter Health. When T was asked if she would participate in a study, her doctor told her, "Like, no one has this disease..."
In T's case, tumors have filled her uterus to 22cm and have developed outside the uterus in critical and painful areas—particularly tumors pressing on her spine, which make sleeping unbearable, and tumors in her abdomen that require urgent removal. Doctors are especially concerned because the abdominal tumors could become malignant due to their size and growth pattern.
Because these tumors originated outside the uterus and are widespread, a hysterectomy would not resolve the issue—it could make things worse. BML is notoriously challenging to treat, with no established standard of care. While classified as benign, BML can be aggressive in its spread and impact. The most common site is the lungs, but tumors have also been found in lymph nodes, bones, skin, and even the heart. One of T's is on her thyroid.
An Update from T — December 2025
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share an important and difficult update as I prepare for surgery this Thursday.
I recently received a cancer diagnosis. At this time, the full extent of treatment—including whether I will need chemotherapy or additional procedures—will not be known until after surgery and pathology results come back. This has shifted the urgency and scope of what I'll need support with in the coming weeks and months.
As someone living with disability and chronic pain, this diagnosis has added a new layer of complexity to my health and daily life. I'm doing everything I can to set up my environment, secure what I need medically, and prepare for recovery—but there are gaps I cannot cover alone.
This condition has turned my life upside down. Simple tasks like sleeping or managing pain are battles every single day.
Your support means more than financial help—it's hope, it's relief, and it's a fighting chance.
How Your Support Helps
- Medical Equipment & Recovery Supplies: Mobility and stability devices, post-surgical pillows and elevation supports, bath/shower safety equipment, compression garments, wound-care supplies, and organization tools for medication and daily tasks.
- Housing & Bills During Recovery: T will be unable to work and away from New York for almost two months, but rent and bills still need to be paid. Your support helps keep her housed and stable during a period with no income.
- Recovery Meals: Cooking will not be possible after surgery. Support helps cover Kinse post-surgical recovery meals designed for inflammation reduction and healing, along with hydration/electrolyte packs and supplement needs.
- Care for Nino, Her Service Dog: Nino is crucial to T's daily functioning, especially during pain flare-ups. Support helps with his food and supplies, a vet visit before travel, temporary boarding on surgery days, and safe travel accommodations during recovery.
- Setting Up a Safe Home Recovery Space: T still needs items to make her living space safe and accessible: a small dresser or bedside storage, supportive seating that won't strain surgical sites, additional bedding and towels, and household supplies she cannot safely carry or shop for during recovery.
- Preparing for Future Treatment: Because the full treatment plan is not yet known, support also helps prepare for potential chemotherapy, additional surgeries, transportation to medical appointments, increased medication costs, and post-operative therapies.
If you know T, you know she is a force—powerful, magnetic, and full of vision. Her word for this year is transformation, not just in what she creates, but in how she lives, accepts care, and leans into this uncertain season. Through it all, Nino will be right there with her, offering comfort, joy, and unconditional love every step of the way.
This is our moment to show up for T with the same love and generosity she has shown to so many of us.
Every gift, no matter the size, is an act of love that helps T step into this next chapter with stability, dignity, and the deep knowing that she is held by her people.
Please give what you can today and share this campaign widely. Together, we can carry T and Nino through this season and into a future filled with hope, health, and possibility.
With love and gratitude, Friends of T and Nino