Donate to help Jackie as she battles cancer

I want to introduce you to my friend Jackie.

Jackie is a single mother and one of my favorite people to hang out with. She has done an amazing job of raising a cool and intelligent daughter. Izzy is interesting and engaging to talk with. It is a joy to watch how the two of them relate to each other.

Oh… another thing... Jackie has breast cancer. That’s the big monkey wrench she and Izzy are dealing with right now.

And so, I… we… are asking for some help.

This is NOT an easy thing to do. No matter how you frame it, asking for help can make you feel small.

But, like many single moms, Jackie often finds too much month and not enough money.

I’m asking you to join me in helping her raise some money to assist with expenses while she goes through treatment - both for the medical treatment and a backlog of bills that she incurred at the start of Covid.

Some backstory: She was driving for Uber but had to stop at the start of the pandemic. Eventually, she found a good job working for an attorney. She gets by on that but the damage from being off work for a few months was done. And then, cancer.

I offered to start a GoFundMe campaign for her, write her story, explain the needs, and hopefully inspire you to give some support if you are able.

I have a small inkling of what she is going through. But just a small inkling.

I recently had a cancer scare. When that happens, your mind goes to some dark places. Things you haven’t done. Worry about the people you may leave behind.

And just an overwhelming sense of fear. As much as we all hear about cancer, when that word is spoken about you, it is surreal. People get cancer. People we love. But, we don’t get cancer ourselves. Until we do.

As it turns out, I’m fortunate. I don’t have cancer.

Jackie, on the other hand, does, in fact, have cancer.

Her cancer treatment has started. She requires surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy - along with all the side effects that entails. Illness, fatigue, and that dark anxiety of knowing something is growing in your body that shouldn’t be there.

I’ve talked to Jackie about this. Every ache you feel, even a tickle, sends you into a, “Oh my God, it’s spread everywhere” mental loop.

All we can do to help her with that is to talk to her, allow her to voice those concerns, and remind her that she has a good medical team and people who love and care about her.

Raising funds for her will NOT help her with those concerns. But it will allow her to focus on and worry about ONLY those concerns.

The human body has an amazing capacity to heal itself. But it can only expend so much energy in the process. Stress robs our body of its ability to do the work necessary to battle disease; to battle cancer.

So, if you can help, please consider doing so.

$25. $50. $100.

Hell, if you have the means, $1,000. Or $5. Whatever you feel you can do.

And if you cannot help right now, we understand. Life is an expensive proposition.

But if you can share her story with someone you know who might be able to help, that would be a wonderful gift.

It's something we can all do.

Finally, if you have any questions, let us know.