Help Sam Beat Cancer... Again

My name is Lacee, and Samantha Sala has been my best friend for over 15 years. Through all of life's ups and downs, Sam has been there for me as part of my chosen family. I would do anything for her, and so I am asking for donations in her time of need.

If you don't know Sam, let me tell you a little about her. Sam is the most resilient, hard-working person I know. She put herself through college and nursing school all while being a single mom and working 3rd shift as a waitress. As if that wasn't a struggle enough, Sam shockingly found out that she had colon cancer at the age of 21. She travelled multiple times to the Mayo Clinic six hours away so she could be treated by her physicians. This treatment included numerous painful procedures, surgeries, and follow-ups that spanned several years. She had to learn how to live her life with a colostomy for a period of time, and also had to deal with other difficult complications. But of course, Sam is amazingly strong, and she continued to be a wonderful mom to Nadia while being a full-time RN during all of this. Thankfully Sam was able to celebrate remission in 2012 and enjoy the cancer-free life. During this time, she went back to grad school, became a nurse practitioner, and had a beautiful wedding where she married her sweetheart, Ben.

In 2022, after fertility difficulties, Sam and Ben got the wonderful news that they were pregnant! Along with Nadia, they were going to finally be a family of four. This should have been a simply joyful time in their lives, but unfortunately, Sam found a breast lump. She has cancer, again. The hormones from pregnancy actually made the tumor even more aggressive. But like I said, Sam is a fighter. And now she's got one more reason to fight: sweet baby Grayson.

She started cancer treatments while still pregnant, including getting a port for chemotherapy. However, her tumor wasn't responsive to the chemo. Sam had to undergo a mastectomy while 33 weeks pregnant. Also, Grayson had to be delivered early at 36 weeks so Sam could safely continue more aggressive chemo and radiation.

I wish this was where Sam's misfortunes ended. She has now found out that she has a rare form of inflammatory breast cancer that her doctors have only seen one time in their careers. She has Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that puts you at a higher risk of developing cancer, or multiple cancers, throughout your lifetime. Sam is currently still undergoing cancer treatments and has more surgery ahead for her. Her doctors are also looking into clinical trials as her cancer is volatile and now is affecting her skin.

As you can imagine, these past several months have caused enormous stress, grief, and hardship for Sam and Ben. They have already been through so much, but the road ahead is going to be rough. The growing financial burden is becoming undeniable. Sam has been on medical leave since her mastectomy, and it's unclear when she'll be able to fully return to work. Ben has been a pillar of strength for their family both financially and with taking care of Grayson and Nadia. A donation from you can help ease the struggle for these two wonderful humans. How is it possible that this terrible disease wreaks havoc repeatedly in one person's life? It’s unthinkable and it’s unfair... but we know that Sam is going to get through this hardship, like she has done over and over again.

Any donation you can make or post you can share of this page would be so appreciated. Please consider donating and help Sam beat cancer, again!