Donation protected
I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in October 2016. After completing three rounds of chemo, the oncologist informed us that the chemo regimen, the best chemo for my type of cancer, was no longer effective; the tumor was growing. The doctor recommended immediate surgery, followed by six rounds of chemo (that means a total of nine!) and likely radiation. Surgery is scheduled for January 25, 2017.
So about the funding campaign. I have to admit our insurance is so great (thank you, LBUSD), my actual medical costs have been relatively negligible. But following surgery, we will begin to feel the impact in my lost wages. And we are very willing to adjust our lifestyle to align with lost wages.
But here's the thing: I can't stop thinking about the future and what we will do as a family when I'm on the other side of this. One fellow cancer patient recently said to me after I asked her how she knew when the "chemo cog fog" was lifting: "I know I'm coming out of the worst of chemo when I start looking forward to the future." Yes! Exactly.
And our family's wish is to adventure together. We can't quite agree on what we'll do: hike a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail? Explore Mynor's native Guatemala? Spend a week fishing in Mammoth? Visit Hawaii? All I know is that a little funding would make it easier to commit to an adventure that will feed our souls and give us hope for the future. A little funding would keep me from putting the celebration adventure in our budget's "things to cut in 2017" column.
Many have asked what they can do, and there are so many ways our dear friends and family are already doing, but some of you would be glad for your "doing" to be a donation here, so here is the open channel. No pressure at all. ALL your thoughts, prayers, and other tokens of love are deeply cherished and are sustaining us.
Thank you for ALL of your support.
Danielle, Mynor, Sofia, Juliette and Matteo Montiel
So about the funding campaign. I have to admit our insurance is so great (thank you, LBUSD), my actual medical costs have been relatively negligible. But following surgery, we will begin to feel the impact in my lost wages. And we are very willing to adjust our lifestyle to align with lost wages.
But here's the thing: I can't stop thinking about the future and what we will do as a family when I'm on the other side of this. One fellow cancer patient recently said to me after I asked her how she knew when the "chemo cog fog" was lifting: "I know I'm coming out of the worst of chemo when I start looking forward to the future." Yes! Exactly.
And our family's wish is to adventure together. We can't quite agree on what we'll do: hike a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail? Explore Mynor's native Guatemala? Spend a week fishing in Mammoth? Visit Hawaii? All I know is that a little funding would make it easier to commit to an adventure that will feed our souls and give us hope for the future. A little funding would keep me from putting the celebration adventure in our budget's "things to cut in 2017" column.
Many have asked what they can do, and there are so many ways our dear friends and family are already doing, but some of you would be glad for your "doing" to be a donation here, so here is the open channel. No pressure at all. ALL your thoughts, prayers, and other tokens of love are deeply cherished and are sustaining us.
Thank you for ALL of your support.
Danielle, Mynor, Sofia, Juliette and Matteo Montiel
Organizer
Danielle Montiel
Organizer
Long Beach, CA