Donate to help Shawna Hart beat Stage 4 Cancer!

Hello! My name is Brandi and Shawna Hart has been my bff since we were 10 attending Greene County Tech (Class 2001) in Paragould, AR together!

Anyone who knows Shawna knows she is kind-hearted, giving, and one of the absolute funniest people you will ever meet. She was a beloved theater nerd in school, has worked as a CNA, caregiver, service industry pro, and autism advocate, and is one of the most dedicated cheerleaders of the city of Asheville, NC that I've ever met! You may know her from seeing her cheerful face while working at Galactic Pizza, Westville Pub, Asheville Brews Cruise, or Earthfare! (She is a total smokeshow, so I know if you were her customer you remember her!)

This year in December, on her birthday, Shawna had to go to the hospital because of severe abdominal pain that she thought was kidney stones. After being seen, she found out she had Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer and was rushed into multiple surgeries to relieve some of the issues causing her immediate pain. Her NC friends and family mobilized to get her into a clean and safe healing environment, but it meant that she had to move out of her basement apartment (not ideal for chemo patients) and disrupt her work life as a caregiver with no notice.

Shawna then went through a whirlwind of meetings to get a plan of care in place, moved in with friends, and started a heavy schedule of months of chemo. She lost her hair and put in the work of staying active and eating well to keep herself strong for the fight ahead, ALL WHILE CONTINUING TO WORK AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Her friends have tried their best to keep her spirits lifted with check-ins, accompanying her to appointments, and gifts of wigs and self care items, and she has handled the situation with phenomenal grace and positivity despite the pain, fatigue, having to continue to work through Stage 4 Cancer, and the huge uncertainty that she has been thrown into!

Shawna has gone as far as she can with chemo and the next step in this journey is a massive surgery at the end of March. She is looking at a total hysterectomy, appendix removal, omentectomy, as well as a cut open bowel to check for cancer because they can’t see it in a scan, potential partial bowel removal, and the surgeons will cut or burn off any bit of cancer they find in her abdomen that could have been left over. After that, she will have 3 more rounds of chemo after surgery. This is a lot! She will need a lot of recovery time!

Shawna needs support so that she can rest and heal. She will not be able to work while she is recovering from this massive surgery. A network of friends and family are booking airbnb homes and travel so they can be with her to support her in the weeks after her massive operation. She has a lot of people in her corner, but the mental relief of knowing she has some cushion would be a huge lift for her.

If you come across this and haven't met her, know that Shawna is hilarious, soft-hearted, has tons of friends, family, siblings, nieces and nephews, families who she has been a caretaker for, and regulars that are fans of hers at her service industry jobs. She is a dork in the best, cutest way and loves musicals and Star Trek, and is a dedicated cat mama and animal lover. She is such a fan of Appalachia and North Carolina, and acts as an unofficial tour guide when anyone she knows is visiting.

Let's give Shawna a lift before her big surgery and the healing to come after. Once the surgery and next rounds of chemo are over, she's going to need deposit money for an apartment, hormone therapy after the hysterectomy, and a whole slate of doctor's appointments to keep her healthy. Any money given will be used to ensure she has what she needs for the weeks and months ahead. Anything over the goal will just ensure she has more time to REST and HEAL from this life-altering ordeal. Shawna has dedicated her life to service and caretaking - it's our turn to take care of her. <3

PLEASE GIVE WHAT YOU CAN, AND SHARE WIDELY WITH YOUR NETWORKS! ANYTHING HELPS!!