Support My Healing

My name is Shirley and I'm 39 year old. I’m a carrier of a pathogenic mutation called MLH1 (Lynch Syndrome). On January 27, 2021, I was diagnosed with grade 2 endometrioid adenocarcinoma (aka Endometrial Cancer). Later in April, doctors discovered a synchronous ovarian mass . The last 21 months have been transformative. I'm finally starting to feel back in my body, grounded. None of this could have happened without each and everyone of you, and for that... I THANK YOU!

UPDATE OCTOBER 2022---

NO hay final.

No hay principio.

ES sólo LA INFINITA

PAS¡ON de

L A V I D A .

Federico FELLINI

[english translation]

“There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life. ”

Hello Dear Friends,

It's been a long time since I last wrote you. I wanted to drop a few lines to express my deepest gratitude for the overwhelming support you all have provided me.

In May of 2021, I lost my job and life-saving insurance coverage. But because of the money I raised through this gofundme I had enough to cover the $1,000.00/monthly fee to continue my coverage through COBRA while also affording my treatments' copays and out-of-pocket expenses.

I'm now in a better place, both mentally and physically. I found a good job with excellent REAL benefits and compassionate/human-centered practices and values. This job promises me economic mobility, which has become critical for those with disabilities and health conditions.

Recovery and grief still feel unbearable at times. Facing my mortality and experiencing loss has been difficult to process. And life without my dad still feels strange. But I continue to move forward.

Thanks for reading me. I promise to write soon.

I wish you all abundance.

Sincerely,

-s

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2021---

“There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear,” author Toni Morrison urgently reminds us. For the past nine months, I have been filled with courage and fear—it is in unprecedented despairing times, like the ones we are living through, that we face our true selves and discover who we truly are deep inside and what we are capable of.

This is what this journey of fighting against and healing from cancer has been like for me. Demanding courage while being ruled by fear. But one thing I have learned is that I can’t do this alone. I am reminded every day that we are interlinked by an undeniable network of interdependence that calls on, now more than ever, for solidarity and mutuality as core values for our existence.

I am an intrical part of your survival as you are of mine. I know that I need you as much as you need me. Like Audre Lorde so beautifully wrote:

“I am saving my life by using my life in the service of what must be done. Tonight as I listened to the ANC [African National Congress] speakers from South Africa at the Third World People’s Center here, I was filled with a sense of self-answering necessity, of commitment as a survival weapon. Our battles are inseparable. Every person I have ever been must be actively enlisted in those battles, as well as in the battle to save my life.”

So, yes, I come to you—once again—to ask you to stand in solidarity with me by helping me raise additional funds to fund my cancer treatment and recovery.

Since July of 2021, I have accumulated over $100K in medical bills. Much of it, thankfully, is covered by my insurance, but as I have shared with you all before: I am choosing to approach this from a holistic and integrative angle, and unfortunately a lot of the healing modalities and services that help support my body through this are NOT covered by medical insurance. And I honestly don’t know where I would be without them. So giving them up is NOT a choice for me. It’s for this reason, and more, that I continue to fundraise through this GoFundMe campaign.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me. Whether you have personally pitched in, helped by sharing my link, asked others to support me, dropped off meals, texted or called, and everything else in between, YOU have helped me tremendously!

CONTINUE ORIGINAL INTRO---

I'm a warrior and have dedicated my entire adult life to healing from the trauma inflicted upon me as a child. Late into my twenties, I came to understand that one of my tasks in this life was to change the world by transforming myself and ending intergenerational cycles of harm. I've been through many struggles, and still am in many ways, as every other woman and femme of color in this world. But I promised my five-year-old self that I would do everything in my power to protect us. I don't want cancer to rob us of my strength and resilience.

I'm starting this GoFundMe fundraiser with a deep sense of vulnerability, but also with a deep conviction that we are each other's keepers. So I humbly come to you, my community, asking for help. 

I feel like I’m being guided internally through this difficult situation by a roadmap, cellular memory passed on to me by my ancestors, mis abuelas, bisabuelas, tatarabuelas and those that I can't trace who came before them. This gives me strength and comfort. I have accepted this journey and I’m embracing it with love and my full commitment.

I am aiming to raise $40,000 (updated) since as of may i have run out of accrued paid time off and state disability insurance still has not kicked in) to help me cover the healthcare costs that I'm unable to afford. This is a battle for my life. The life that I deserve. I have already spent over $30,000 on my medical care since I was diagnosed (even with insurance because of out-of-pocket expenses and deductibles) Thankfully, I was able to find an amazing treatment center and a trauma-informed gynecologic cancer surgeon at UCSF Bakar Cancer Hospital in San Francisco where I am being treated.

Things are moving faster than I expected and I am scheduled for surgery in San Francisco in 10 days, so this means there will be additional expenses involving lodging, transportation—plus all the additional comprehensive aftercare and treatment I’ll need to have the best chance at beating cancer and gaining my full health back.

The stress of being diagnosed and navigating the process of figuring out the best treatment option has been stressful. Trying to figure out how I will pay for all this has added undue stress on top of everything else. I don’t want to risk going broke or not being able to cover the medical care that I need. I will need to go on medical leave from my job and, as you may know, only 60% of your wages are covered. The system doesn’t work to take care of us and I’m facing the consequences of it right now. The funds raised here will help me offset the wages I will be missing while I’m out of work as well. 

So I am asking for your help to raise funds to save my life. I thank you immensely for your generosity in donating any amount you can and sharing this fundraiser with others. I will be forever thankful for your support. I know that this too shall pass and when I’m cancer-free I will reciprocate and return this help by extending my support to others facing hardship. Thank you!

"Once I accept the existence of dying as a life process, who can ever have power over me again?"

—Audre Lorde, The Cancer Journals