Donate to Vito Valera, TENDER FOREVER's Healing and Recovery

This campaign is managed by Lisa Ganser and Rosa Blumenfeld-Romero, two close friends of Vito.

Dear Community,

Our wonderful friend Vito Valera is on a wild cancer adventure and they can use our help. You may know Vito as a generous and loving friend, a bright artistic light and passionate activist in the town of Olympia, Washington, or possibly as "TENDER FOREVER ," the name under which they have put out multiple albums on K Records and toured the world with their incredibly charismatic and heartfelt performances. They are now on a very challenging health journey and asking for our support, prayers, protection, beams of light and transmissions of joy.

During Vito's monthly self breast exam in April 2025, they discovered a lump which was diagnosed as an aggressive Triple Negative Breast cancer. This is a highly invasive cancer with a high rate of recurrence. On top of it, they just tested positive to BRCA1 ( a gene mutation that increases risk of additional breast cancer and ovarian cancer). Their treatment plan is equally aggressive, requiring chemo from end of June 2025 until December 2025. Around New Years they will need to undergo a double mastectomy followed by 6 more months of treatment and possibly the removal of their ovaries or a hysterectomy. Vito encourages everyone to do a monthly self check as that is how they found this hungry ghost! They have had Long Covid for the past 10 months and have been unable to work since fall of 2024.

Vito is a queer trans person whose family all live in France with whom they have complex relationship. Currently, Vito is not able to work because the side effects of the chemo have been very challenging. Their partner Rebekah is an artist and somatic coach working part-time as they are now Vito’s main care taker.

We are reaching out here to rally some financial support to help Vito cover their basic costs of living as well as additional resources to support them in their treatment. Vito is a sensitive being through and through and they've been having a lot of physical reactions to the treatments. They need funds to support them in alternative treatments to help them tolerate the chemo and make it through this intact, including acupuncture, massage, supplements, naturopathy, organic foods, and other holistic care that the insurance doesn’t cover. Additionally, they are looking to pay trusted community members for in home and medical care support. This is an opportunity for us to materially support not just Vito and their partner Rebekah, but the ecosystem of care and creativity that they have surrounded themselves with in Olympia.

Vito is on Medicaid and it's unclear how or when the new government cuts will affect their access to treatment. As off now, they are set to lose Medicaid along 350,000 Washingtonians and can’t afford health care, nor can they afford cancer treatment without Medicaid. Any funds we can raise here can help provide a cushion to give them a bit of relief so they can focus on this one big challenge happening inside their body and allow them to stress a little less about the challenges happening outside of it. Anyone who knows Vito knows their massive heart will never stop intensely caring and striving for justice and liberation for all beings and souls on this planet. Vito reported that when they were being diagnosed, they were told that their heartbeat was extremely strong and steady, no surprises there!

Please donate and help us spread the word! We welcome all positive energy for Vito’s complete recovery and we invite you to keep this vision in your hearts and minds. Vito is a powerful fighter and has been embracing this experience with their inspired perspective as an opportunity to channel more Love. Vito tends to be a very private person and it's not their first instinct to want to share their health struggles publicly, but we are grateful that they are so we can come together to provide support and hopefully shine some more light in the darkness of this world.

We love you so much Vito!!

— written by Khaela Maricich / The Blow