Donna Witsell's Fight with Breast Cancer

Hello,

My sister, Donna Witsell, was diagnosed with breast cancer the day after Christmas. It was a huge shock because she’s always been incredibly healthy, full of energy and vibrant. Initial tests indicated it was a more common form (IDC) with a very good prognosis. By the time she had surgery on February 16th, it was discovered the tumor had more than doubled in size. The post-surgery pathology report changed her final diagnosis to Metaplastic Carcinoma, a rare aggressive cancer that is more likely to metastasize and more likely to recur after treatment. She started her first round of chemotherapy on March 23rd, which took her legs right out from under her. She is struggling to regain her energy and the weight she has lost. She has 5 more rounds of chemo to go; she’s in for a fight.

My sister is the most caring, compassionate and selfless person. She dedicated the majority of her adult life to working with children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses and their families. She has always wanted to make a positive difference. She and her loving and devoted husband of nearly 33 years, Mark, moved to Arizona in August of 2021 to be closer to our family. Shortly after that, she was hired as an hourly grant writer for a wonderful organization serving several nonprofits across the US. Many of you know, Mark is only a recent cancer survivor himself having battled Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2020, so you can imagine this has hit them extremely hard.

I am reaching out to ask for support to help Donna withstand the substantial loss of income that she has had and will continue to experience during her treatment. On top of that the medical bills are adding up. As you can imagine this additional financial stress adds to an already difficult situation.

The family is incredibly grateful for any support you can provide. The outpouring of prayers and words of encouragement has lifted Donna's spirit during an incredibly tough time.

Thank you

Kathleen Leonard