Cristina's unBRCAble spirit!

Family and Friends,

I am sharing this story with all of you, in the hopes that you can join me in helping to save the life of Cristina (Francois) Safille.

At the tender age of 33, Cristina was expecting her 6th child with husband Eddie Safille. As Cristina approached the final 6 weeks of pregnancy, she began experiencing an unusual pain in her chest. Preliminary testing revealed a tumor in her breast and an emergency C-section was performed to start life-saving treatment for Cristina. Sweet little Stella entered the world 6 weeks early and was immediately placed in NICU. During a time when a mother’s concern should only be to hold her newborn baby, Cristina was now entering the fight of her life. Additional testing confirmed breast cancer, which had spread to her lymph nodes.

Time was of the essence, and chemotherapy treatments ensued with the hopes of slowing the growth of this tumor enough to develop a plan for surgery.

Significant complications came with Stella’s early birth. She is not able to come home yet and remains under the watchful eye of the NICU team with the hopes that she will be strong enough to join her siblings soon. Even then, Stella will need additional care.

Two months have passed. Two months of constant doctor visits, countless testing and MRIs. Two months of sickness. Two months of not being able to hold her newborn baby girl. Cristina has remained so strong, calm, and hopeful that she will be feeling better soon.

Then came the most recent MRI, delivering results that no one wanted to hear. The tumor had not shrunk, rather it had grown since the start of treatment. The chemotherapy wasn’t working.

Cristina received a diagnosis of Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer.

She is 33 years old. She has 6 children including a newborn, all under the age of 9.

Cristina is now facing major surgery to remove all hormone- producing organs from her body and force her into menopause. Hopefully this will slow the growth and provide opportunity for treatment. Cristina has health insurance, which covers some, but not all expenses. The bills are growing, and sweet little Stella hasn’t even left the hospital yet.

Stella is part of a team. The Safille team of 5 beautiful girls and one glorious little boy, along with their fearless father working tiresome hours both at work and at home. This family needs Cristina to survive.

Cristina’s parents and in-laws are giving all they can, but they need our help.

This Go Fund Me account has been started to ease the burden on the family. Over the coming months, there will be countless doctor’s appointments for Cristina and baby Stella. The normal costs of living are already astounding for all of us, without the added burden of cancer treatments, MRIs, surgeries, and child/newborn care. Please consider giving any amount and sharing with your friends and family. 

We thank you for your support, and may God bless you!