I’m not asking for a miracle, just a little help while I fight for my life.

I was just a 34-year-old mother and wife planning for our future. We had just lost our community to Hurricane Helene. Our town was one of the hardest-hit places in all of WNC. Before the rain even stopped, my family was out sawing trees off of our neighbors' houses, climbing through rubble to get to the family buried underneath. We thought we had been through the worst of the worst and were ready to start rebuilding. Except the universe had other plans. Not even 2 weeks later, our worlds were destroyed in a matter of seconds. Sitting on the doctor's office bed, in a gown, with my husband holding my hand, we heard the words no one ever wants to hear: “I’m sorry, but it’s cancer.”

That was almost a year ago. Since then, my world has been nothing but surgeries, treatments, pills, infections, hospital stays, injections, doctor after doctor, and prayer after prayer.

While having to go through chemotherapy, radiation, and bone marrow infusions—each one pushing my body to its limits, I had to undergo a full mastectomy. That alone was hard enough, but I also lost the ability to have children. Something I dreamed of since my daughter was born 18 years ago.

Before I could even begin to heal, I developed a severe abscess that stopped all treatments and sent me back into the hospital for even more surgeries.

This journey has stripped me of not only my hair, my body, my self-worth, my confidence but more importantly than all those things, my ability to work and take care of my family. This unexpected journey has drained my finances and tested my spirit in ways I never thought possible. There have been times I have wanted to give up but I cant do that to my family. I won't take the easy way out. My only option is to fight, fight hard, fight for as long as I can and for whatever I can.

I’m doing something that I said I never would. I’m asking for help—and not because it’s easy, its actually quite embarrassing, but because it’s necessary. My family needs this. I need this. We are still in the thick of it. I still have cancer in my body.

Every donation will go directly toward medical bills, recovery expenses, and simply keeping life afloat while we focus on healing and praying that I can get back to work as soon as possible.

If you can’t give financially, I understand all too well. Just sharing my story means the world.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for standing with me in my fight.

With love and gratitude,

Mandy