Help Alicia BEAT cancer!

Please read the updates posted below this original story and share Alicia's campaign.

Here is the original story post: I’m Alicia's mom Kate and live in Middle Tennessee. I started this campaign in March 2024 for my daughter Alicia who lives in Conroe, Texas. She is battling cancer for a second time after a recent cancer diagnosis and could truly use your help and support!

She is unable to work since December 2023 due to her illness and the effects of Chemo treatment. She just was diagnosed with Metastatic Breast cancer, now in her lungs and a few spots on her spine along with a Pleural Effusion (fluid buildup in lungs) Your donations will help cover insurance premiums, medications and treatments not covered as well as provide her basic living expenses and food while she is not able to work and awaits state disability approval.

Get to know a little about this beautiful woman here. Alicia is a skilled and passionate lifelong equestrian (also a talented hair stylist). She is just 35 but has an “old soul”. She has always been a strong-willed, independent and courageous girl. She’s an athlete, artist, stylist and fashionista. She was raised in the country where she grew up riding horses. Her love of horses and dedication to riding throughout her life have given her a sense of responsibility, confidence and determination which has served her in all areas of life.

A few years ago, she moved to Houston to venture out and start a new life after a Summer trip to Texas introduced her to the love of her life – Trey! He is a true Texas Gentleman and firefighter. She was able to share her love of riding and he shared his love of Texas life and also one of his favorite past times, golf. They are kindred spirits who enjoy renaissance fairs, golfing, riding horses, antiquing and, watching movies together. They are best friends! She worked at a great salon, was riding horses and living her very best life. In the Summer of 2020 she went for a mammogram due to a suspicious lump she found. After a biopsy, she was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer! It was a frightening and grim prognosis by the doctors and radiologists. But she is a fighter and with Trey by her side, she was determined to face the battle that was ahead.

She underwent extensive Chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, followed by intense radiation! She was quite sick, lost her hair, energy, muscle tone and ability to ride. But she was victorious and in Fall of 2021, she was eligible to have natural reconstructive surgery, which was a 14 hour long procedure! With the disease behind her, She “rung the bell” and was on her way to healing and living life. She began riding horses again, became more focused on playing golf and was working full time as a stylist. Each PET scan was coming back clean with no evidence of the disease. Life was full, happy and very busy!

Then suddenly in November of 2023, she caught a cold that seemed to “settle” into her chest. She developed a persistent cough and went to the doctor who prescribed antibiotics for bronchitis. She seemed to feel better for a few days then the cough would come right back. This time, she was given a stronger antibiotic, inhaler and told it “Should clear up in 3 days”. Again, she had slight improvement before the cough would return and was causing her to be really short of breath. She got some relief from cough syrup and since she didn’t have a fever or any other signs of illness she kept working and insisted on keeping their plans to visit our family in Tennessee for Christmas. It was during that visit that we all realized her cough was pretty severe. The day after she got back to Texas, Trey took her to the ER as she was struggling to breath. They admitted her after x-rays showed she had a Pneumonia. After 2 days, she wasn’t improving much and so they began a series of tests. CAT Scan, Ultrasound, bloodwork and more X-rays.

Day 4 in the hospital- they had to drain the fluid off her lungs and a doctor told her he didn’t like what he saw from the fluid and suspected it was caused by cancer and not pneumonia! This news hit her hard! They had to insert a drain so they could remove the fluid every few days, she would then be able to go home with the drain and do it herself. Pleural Effusion is a condition that happens in lung cancers.

After 7 days, she was sent home. After a PET scan, the oncologist confirmed the harsh news that her breast cancer was active again and had now spread to her lungs. This diagnosis took almost 2 months to get from the onset of her symptoms. Her life has suddenly just changed, and everything has stopped. She was immediately put back on Medications and at home Chemo type treatment. Doctors are hopeful the cancer will respond and they can put it in “check”. The goal is stopping the active progression, stop the recurrence of fluid buildup and shrink a spot on the liver too.

Sick, fatigued, loss of appetite and now deals with extreme shortness of breath and the cough. But like before, she is a fighter, a warrior and not giving up! None of us are! Her pain is managed with mild morphine. She sleeps propped up, and her voice is affected. Doing simple chores make her breathless and needing to rest. Applying for disability payments takes at least 6 months to receive once they review and approve. Currently, she has no form of income. Luckily, she has been allowed to keep her medical coverage from work for now but has to pay the premiums out of pocket, it only covers a portion of treatments. We help where we can but bills are starting to come in and help is needed to cover them. Trey continues to work and is away from home at the fire station 2 nights a week. He has been her constant support but his income is not enough to pay all her expenses.

Please know your support and contribution will not be in vain, she will fight for herself, and for those that she loves and that love her. Contributions will cover expenses for food, utilities, housing, out of pocket medical costs and medical support resources she desperately needs. She has a lot of living planned, many things to contribute to life and more horses that need riding! Thank you for your compassion and contribution. I will be providing updates with scan results, outcomes, prognosis and pictures and hope you will stay tuned in to see her beat cancer and ride again!