Help Char Focus on Healing

Char and I met in 2021 through our shared love of RV life and camping in North Carolina. From day one, it felt like meeting my sister! We instantly adopted each other into our chosen family. Let me tell you a little bit about my friend…

Char is a lifelong helper: a former firefighter, a personal trainer, and now a dedicated healthcare worker. She’s the person who shows up, checks in, and puts others first. If you know her, you’ve probably been on the receiving end of her care, humor, and loyalty.

In true Char-fashion, she recently made the selfless decision to shift from full-time to part-time work and create space in her life and tiny home, so she can help her elderly mother relocate from Arizona to Maine and become her primary caregiver. In the final week before this life-altering move was officially launched, Char was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Char’s cancer is an aggressive grade but thankfully appears to have been caught relatively early. After her many doctor’s appointments and intensive diagnostics, she was scheduled for lumpectomy surgery on August 1st. This procedure is just the starting point of Char’s cancer healing journey. After the pathology is processed, Char will then see the oncologist, who will develop the treatment plan. At this time, the plan is unknown, but will likely include radiation, long-term hormone therapy, and possibly chemo or targeted therapies, to decrease the risk of recurrence. This will be a long process to say the least!

As I was working on putting this GFM together, Char mentioned feeling ambivalent about “going public” in a crowdfunding type of format. She is admittedly quite uncomfortable sharing her very new and personal cancer story, and she is equally as uncomfortable asking for help! But she also knows that “going public” might help others while helping herself by increasing the awareness of taking care of ourselves – get your screenings! Do your self-checks!

This fundraiser will help cover income replacement, bills, and out-of-pocket medical costs, giving Char the room to breathe and focus on her own healing; and be available to assist with her mom’s care. Char is totally overwhelmed, and it is unclear when she might return to work!

Please consider donating, if you’re able - and please share the link with others! Every bit helps! Thanks!