Help Quána Madison Pay for Surgeries & Recovery

Current Health Situation:

My name is Quána Madison. I'm a disabled multi-disciplinary artist and healing arts facilitator committed to promoting well-being. You can learn more about me by visiting my website (www.quanamadison.com).

I have the BRCA1 gene mutation, a family history of breast cancer, and a personal history of cancer previvor treatments. In 2016 I had double mastectomies, oophorectomy, and hysterectomy to remove suspicious growths and reduce my risk of cancer. I have had repeated health complications from 2017 - 2020.

Recent breast cancer evaluations revealed that I have a tumor in my right breast.

My breast oncologists also diagnosed me with capsular contracture and breast implant illness.

I will undergo surgeries to remove the tumor, remove my breast implants permanently to treat the breast implant illness, and reconstruct my breasts using a newer and more intense process called DIEP flap.

I'm raising funds to help pay for:

More Details:

The tumor in my right breast will be removed and biopsied. I'm grateful for the oncology team I am working with. I have intense pain in my breasts and across my chest due to severe capsular contracture. Despite multiple corrective surgeries----I developed capsular contracture again. The breast implant illness is exacerbating my other chronic illnesses.

Although I will be able to collect a portion of my missed income from my part-time job during my recovery times, I will lose the rest of the income that I make from my contract work as a working artist and healing arts facilitator.

I have health insurance (thank God!---because this has not always been the case for me over the last 10 years), but cancer evaluations are really expensive.

I have been evaluated for blood cancers, skin cancer, gynecological cancer, and breast cancer over the 8 months.

I will need a lot of caregiver & home help during the healing process. So if you are local to Denver, Colorado, and are interested, please contact me.

Complicated Recovery with Chronic Illnesses

My complex chronic illnesses complicate my recovery process. I have fibromyalgia , chronic fatigue syndrome , chronic pain syndrome, and autoimmune disease . Fibromyalgia is a complex chronic pain disorder that causes widespread pain, tenderness to touch, fatigue, and brain fog. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a serious, long-term illness that affects many body systems. It causes severe fatigue not improved by rest, post-exertion malaise (where symptoms get worse after any physical or mental activity), pain, dizziness, and brain fog. An autoimmune disease is a condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks your own body.

The physical trauma of surgery causes all my chronic illnesses to have major flare-ups. A flare-up is an increase in intensity and/or an increase in the number of symptoms. These flare-ups complicate my recovery and healing process by amplifying both my normal daily chronic pain, fatigue, and postoperative pain.

My chronic illnesses make my healing process slow and lengthy. Stress exacerbates my disabilities. That said, I'm trying to be proactive about ways to help my healing process with these surgeries. And I'm being open about asking for help.

Thank you for any support that you can provide. I appreciate you sharing my GoFundMe with your communities.

Peace be with you,

Quána Madison