Surgery and Recovery - Help with Mastectomy and Hernia

Hi Everyone,

I have two issues that require surgery. On December 9th, I'm having a prophylactic double mastectomy due to the BRCA2 genetic mutation I have, and I also need to have a hernia repaired. The hernia was the result of the prophylactic hysterectomy I had two years ago, also due to the BRCA2 mutation. Since this is my second round of surgery due to my diagnosis, I have some idea of what I'm going to go through, and it's given me clarity about how much help I need.

I am raising money to help with my medical bills, recovery activities, and cleaning help around the house. I reached out to my local cancer support center to see what kind of help I could receive from them, but they turned me down since I don't actually have cancer at this time, despite the fact that the impetus of getting these surgeries is so I don't get cancer in the future. While I understand their perspective, it did make me feel more alone on this journey. I decided to turn to my own community to get the support I need. I have had ongoing medical bills due to my genetic diagnosis over the past 2.5 years and I want to be able to pay for the support and care I need to recover from this surgery.

I also have needed physical therapy due to lasting discomfort from my first surgery and I just found out that I've reached the limit on what my insurance will cover for that treatment, so if I want to continue to receive PT, I will need to pay out of pocket, which feels quite costly at this point. Your donation will help cover my needed PT.

After my upcoming surgery, I can't do any lifting over 8 pounds for at least four weeks, and no lifting over 20 pounds for six weeks. I will need help with household tasks and will need to focus on recovery. Last time I had surgery, I sneaked in some vacuuming too early, and my recovery progressed slower than expected. I feel like the emotional work of recovering from this surgery might also be more demanding than the last one. I will use your funds to hire a professional cleaner and to pay for post-surgical massage and acupuncture to speed recovery.

Thank you for your support.