Kristen's Fearless Fight
Donation protected
My friend Kristen Everette has just been diagnosed with breast cancer... She will be out of work, and this will bring about more expenses than anyone of us could ever prepare for... The treatment program will be underway quickly, and Kristen will be out of work for an unspecified amount of time. Here is Kristen's story....
I'm 48 years old and the mother of a 15 year old daughter, and twins: a 13 year old son and daughter. They.are.my.world.
Out of nowhere, I felt a small lump in my right breast the beginning of July of this year.
July 30th I had a diagnostic mammogram, an ultrasound, and a biopsy.
July 31st I was told "you have cancer."
I met with my oncology team at the Duke Cancer Institute a week later on August 7th and was told I have TNBC (Triple Negative Breast Cancer)/IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma), stage 1, grade 3.
My team wants to be aggressive and feels the best option for me, with the best possible outcome is to proceed with chemotherapy, surgery, and eventually radiation.
I will have an echocardiogram on August 14th to ensure my heart is healthy enough to tolerate what's to come. Followed by an outpatient surgical procedure that same day to have an infusion port placed.
I will have an MRI on August 17th.
And the day after school starts for my children, I will undergo my 1st chemotherapy infusion on August 18th at the cancer center.
Genetic testing is scheduled for August 31st.
The current plan is to have 12 chemotherapy infusions, lasting about 3 hours each, over the next 16 weeks.
How the cancer responds to the chemo, and whether or not I am found to be positive for the BRCA gene mutation, will determine if I will have to then have a sentinel lymph node biopsy with a lumpectomy or with a double mastectomy.
Radiation therapy will follow surgery. Surgery will give a more definitive staging of the cancer. My anticipated time for chemo alone is about 4-5 months per the medical oncologist.
Best case scenario, I hope to be done with chemo, recovered from surgery and starting radiation by the 6-8 month mark.
So much of my progression of treatment, my success with all components of the treatment, and my ability to heal depends on my being able to stay healthy and strong!
As you may know, I'm a Physical Therapist Assistant, working the past 4 years in a home health setting. I provide direct patient care that includes, but is not limited to, transfer training, gait training, therapeutic exercise and activity, and vitals/medication/respiratory/skin assessment, on a daily basis.
I provide this care in patients' homes, sometimes hotels, group homes, and assisted living facilities to patients with a multitude of diagnoses, some that are covid19 negative, some are covid19 positive, and some are high risk for covid19 due to their own co-morbidities.
In addition, I provide extensive hands-on caregiver education to individuals that are not restricted to the home, and whom also may be at risk for covid19 and/or other infectious disease.
The concern is that even if I feel well enough to perform the duties of my job throughout chemo, surgery, and radiation, the progression and effectiveness of my treatment on healing will be significantly compromised by continuing to provide front line, direct patient care in the manner in which I always have.
Effective August 14th I will be out of work until, very likely December or January. I currently have less than 1 week of paid time off.
We are in the middle of a pandemic and so many I know are struggling to make ends meet, may have lost their jobs, and are concerned with being able to provide for their own families. I fully understand and empathize with the stress that can and must create! I feel reluctant to ask for or accept help because of this, so I have absolutely no expectations and I understand most of us are simply not in any position to help, I get that I promise! But ultimately, right now I need to swallow any remaining pride I may have had, in order to heal, and continue to ensure I can take care of my children. They have been through so much this past year.
My health and my childrens' emotional and physical well-being are my priority!
In addition to normal living expenses, I have many medical expenses, luckily some of those are covered partially, but many are not. Once my paid time off is exhausted, I will also be responsible for paying the full premium to maintain health insurance for my children and I.
I wish I had been more prepared financially, but this is all such a shock still, and there's no way I could have anticipated going from being a totally healthy productive member of society to high risk, immunosuppressed, mom with cancer, with no income for up to a year potentially.
I am hopeful that because we appear to have caught this cancer early, I will eventually have a favorable outcome. I look forward to the day my life, and the life of my children, can return to normal! To the day I can return to the work I've been fortunate enough to do for the past 19 years, where the focus is on others' quality of life and healing.
I've spent the majority of my adult life working with my focus on something bigger than myself. While in the US Navy my focus was on the safety of our pilots, our aircraft, my fellow shipmates, and on my country. Then, when I embarked on my 2nd career at age 28, my focus shifted to strangers, members of my community, friends and family, and their physical well-being and recovery. I'm so grateful to have had both careers and look forward to being able to have the focus off of me and back onto others again asap!!
Until then, any and all prayers and encouraging words and assistance of any kind is, and will be, deeply appreciated by my family and I.
I am fortunate that this IS curable. And while I may feel scared, overwhelmed, and sad at times I also have the love and support of my circle, and I have faith in God and what He can and will do in the days ahead.
I was not ready to take this journey, but I am committed to taking one day, one step, at a time and fighting as hard as I can.
Love & light,
Kristen Lee Everette
We will update you as things move along. Please send Kristen positive and healing vibes, and keep Kristen and keep her family in your thoughts and prayers. If you would like to contribute in another way, please reach out to me. I will get your donation to Kristen.
Peace and Love,
Laurel Gallion (find me on Facebook as LaLa Gal)
I'm 48 years old and the mother of a 15 year old daughter, and twins: a 13 year old son and daughter. They.are.my.world.
Out of nowhere, I felt a small lump in my right breast the beginning of July of this year.
July 30th I had a diagnostic mammogram, an ultrasound, and a biopsy.
July 31st I was told "you have cancer."
I met with my oncology team at the Duke Cancer Institute a week later on August 7th and was told I have TNBC (Triple Negative Breast Cancer)/IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma), stage 1, grade 3.
My team wants to be aggressive and feels the best option for me, with the best possible outcome is to proceed with chemotherapy, surgery, and eventually radiation.
I will have an echocardiogram on August 14th to ensure my heart is healthy enough to tolerate what's to come. Followed by an outpatient surgical procedure that same day to have an infusion port placed.
I will have an MRI on August 17th.
And the day after school starts for my children, I will undergo my 1st chemotherapy infusion on August 18th at the cancer center.
Genetic testing is scheduled for August 31st.
The current plan is to have 12 chemotherapy infusions, lasting about 3 hours each, over the next 16 weeks.
How the cancer responds to the chemo, and whether or not I am found to be positive for the BRCA gene mutation, will determine if I will have to then have a sentinel lymph node biopsy with a lumpectomy or with a double mastectomy.
Radiation therapy will follow surgery. Surgery will give a more definitive staging of the cancer. My anticipated time for chemo alone is about 4-5 months per the medical oncologist.
Best case scenario, I hope to be done with chemo, recovered from surgery and starting radiation by the 6-8 month mark.
So much of my progression of treatment, my success with all components of the treatment, and my ability to heal depends on my being able to stay healthy and strong!
As you may know, I'm a Physical Therapist Assistant, working the past 4 years in a home health setting. I provide direct patient care that includes, but is not limited to, transfer training, gait training, therapeutic exercise and activity, and vitals/medication/respiratory/skin assessment, on a daily basis.
I provide this care in patients' homes, sometimes hotels, group homes, and assisted living facilities to patients with a multitude of diagnoses, some that are covid19 negative, some are covid19 positive, and some are high risk for covid19 due to their own co-morbidities.
In addition, I provide extensive hands-on caregiver education to individuals that are not restricted to the home, and whom also may be at risk for covid19 and/or other infectious disease.
The concern is that even if I feel well enough to perform the duties of my job throughout chemo, surgery, and radiation, the progression and effectiveness of my treatment on healing will be significantly compromised by continuing to provide front line, direct patient care in the manner in which I always have.
Effective August 14th I will be out of work until, very likely December or January. I currently have less than 1 week of paid time off.
We are in the middle of a pandemic and so many I know are struggling to make ends meet, may have lost their jobs, and are concerned with being able to provide for their own families. I fully understand and empathize with the stress that can and must create! I feel reluctant to ask for or accept help because of this, so I have absolutely no expectations and I understand most of us are simply not in any position to help, I get that I promise! But ultimately, right now I need to swallow any remaining pride I may have had, in order to heal, and continue to ensure I can take care of my children. They have been through so much this past year.
My health and my childrens' emotional and physical well-being are my priority!
In addition to normal living expenses, I have many medical expenses, luckily some of those are covered partially, but many are not. Once my paid time off is exhausted, I will also be responsible for paying the full premium to maintain health insurance for my children and I.
I wish I had been more prepared financially, but this is all such a shock still, and there's no way I could have anticipated going from being a totally healthy productive member of society to high risk, immunosuppressed, mom with cancer, with no income for up to a year potentially.
I am hopeful that because we appear to have caught this cancer early, I will eventually have a favorable outcome. I look forward to the day my life, and the life of my children, can return to normal! To the day I can return to the work I've been fortunate enough to do for the past 19 years, where the focus is on others' quality of life and healing.
I've spent the majority of my adult life working with my focus on something bigger than myself. While in the US Navy my focus was on the safety of our pilots, our aircraft, my fellow shipmates, and on my country. Then, when I embarked on my 2nd career at age 28, my focus shifted to strangers, members of my community, friends and family, and their physical well-being and recovery. I'm so grateful to have had both careers and look forward to being able to have the focus off of me and back onto others again asap!!
Until then, any and all prayers and encouraging words and assistance of any kind is, and will be, deeply appreciated by my family and I.
I am fortunate that this IS curable. And while I may feel scared, overwhelmed, and sad at times I also have the love and support of my circle, and I have faith in God and what He can and will do in the days ahead.
I was not ready to take this journey, but I am committed to taking one day, one step, at a time and fighting as hard as I can.
Love & light,
Kristen Lee Everette
We will update you as things move along. Please send Kristen positive and healing vibes, and keep Kristen and keep her family in your thoughts and prayers. If you would like to contribute in another way, please reach out to me. I will get your donation to Kristen.
Peace and Love,
Laurel Gallion (find me on Facebook as LaLa Gal)
Organizer and beneficiary
Laurel Gallion
Organizer
Garner, NC
Kristen Lee
Beneficiary