Aid Kayla's Family in Their Battle with Cancer

Hi! My name is Kayla Foster and I’m 36 years old. I’m the mother of three beautiful teenagers, Kaiden, Kyleigh, and Kenzli, and fiancé to the most amazing man, Todd. A year and 3 months ago my little family’s world was turned completely upside down. After feeling two lumps in my breast, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Metastatic means it has already spread out of your breast and into lymph nodes and organs, which means it is terminal. Triple Negative means it is an aggressive type of cancer that tests negative for all three of the hormone factors. This type of cancer is more likely to grow and spread faster than other types of breast cancers, and it’s more likely to spread beyond the breast and return after treatment. Triple Negative Breast Cancer can be challenging to treat because it doesn’t respond well to hormone therapies that are commonly used to treat hormone positive breast cancers.

My cancer had already spread to lymph nodes and my liver when I was first diagnosed. We started treatment with chemotherapy and immunotherapy in July 2023. That type of chemo only worked for a couple of months. My tumors started growing again, plus I needed my wisdom teeth taken out so we stopped the chemo for 10 weeks. In February 2024, I stopped immunotherapy and started a different chemotherapy. Then, in March, we learned that I was born with the BRCA1 gene mutation that caused my cancer and made my cancer even more aggressive. So, in April I had a double mastectomy and complete hysterectomy. I was able to start my chemo back a few weeks later after I recovered. That’s the treatment I’ve received and chemotherapy is the only treatment I’m receiving now. We’ll do this until it doesn’t work anymore and then try a different chemo or radiation or other type of therapy.

When I asked my oncologist how much time someone my age with this diagnosis typically had left, he told me usually about 3 to 5 years. That’s extremely hard and scary to hear as a mother and fiancé, however; only God knows how much time any of us have left before He calls us to our forever Home. Therefore, we’re not believing the statistics; instead we’re believing God is going to perform a miracle and heal my body completely! Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen without a lot of fight from myself and a lot of support from my fiancé.

Since my diagnosis, a year and three months ago, my fiancé became our family’s sole provider and my main caretaker. I’m creating this GoFundMe for him more than myself; of course it would benefit our whole family, but I’m truly worried about his wellbeing just as much as my own. This man deserves everything good; but he's been struggling to the point of giving himself health issues. He never gets a break as a full-time trucker, my caretaker, and dad to our teenagers. I literally don't know how he does it or how much more he can take, physically or emotionally. I do know, as long as it's up to him, he'll never stop being here for me and our kids no matter what. No matter how tired he is, no matter how many hours he had to work, no matter how little sleep he had, no matter how bad he feels...he's going to provide for and take care of me and those kids.

In the past year, he's never missed one of my appointments and he's always by my side on chemo days. We're so thankful his boss allows him to do that for me, but it does take a pretty big chunk out of his paychecks. On top of that we have the added transportation costs to my cancer centers, one that is a 1 and a half hour round trip and one that is a 4 hour round trip. I have chemo almost every Friday and check-ups with different doctors throughout the month. Then, I have several prescription medications that insurance doesn't cover. Plus, I can't do the Medical Coding job that I would be doing if I wasn't sick. A family living on one income during these times is just impossible.

I can only imagine how he's doing emotionally because he's really good at hiding that; always having a smile for me or doing something to make me laugh. We’ve been together for 9 years though, so I know he’s not okay just as much as I’m not okay. If it were the other way around and he was the one sick and possibly dying I would be a crying mess 24/7! I honestly don't know how he stays so strong. God must be carrying him through it. I pray for him and thank God for him every single day. I would greatly appreciate it if you could pray for him too! As well as prayers for God to perform a miracle and heal my body from this awful disease!

As hard as it is to ask for help, we have no other choice. Some people ask if we have family that could help…we both have fairly large families with only a few that have been able to give some financial relief here and there and we’re so grateful for them. Both of our beautiful, loving mothers are disabled and it’s understandable why most of our family members can’t help financially or physically. We’ve had some financial help from an amazing, local foundation for young women fighting breast cancer and some from the kindest people at our local community church. We wouldn’t have made it through this first year without them and will forever be thankful for them doing everything that they could!

This is just not something you expect or are prepared for when you’re only 35. We went from planning a wedding, after just getting engaged 5 months before my diagnosis, to planning my cancer treatment. As hard as this is, I know it’s for a reason. It’s God’s plan. “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Donations would go towards help with transportation to the cancer centers, my prescriptions and other medical expenses that might arise.

I just feel helpless and can't continue to watch the love of my life struggle and risk his life everyday, so I will do whatever I can!

Todd, My best friend and soulmate...I love you and appreciate you more than you will ever know baby!!! Thank you for everything that you do for me and our little family!!! I hope this helps relieve some of these heavy burdens you're carrying.❤️