Help Bre Become Cancer-Free
Donation protected
A message from Bre...
It's hard to tell your friends and family you're sick. Being the bearer of bad news isn't easy- I know the feeling of what it's like to hear it, your heartbreaks, your breath slips from your mouth, and your stomach drops to the ground. Saying, typing, texting, and sharing I have cancer SUCKS. I have stage IV Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin's Lymphoma; luckily, it's a very treatable, even curable cancer. This healing journey will be rough, yet I'm confident I will come out the other side transformed and bald. I'm not much for war metaphors; I do not believe I'm at war with my body, I'm not fighting, I'm not a warrior, this is not my enemy- this is my body. I thank my distressed organs, for I know they have done all they can to save my whole being. My future is focused on resilience and healing, but please feel free to say F*ck cancer as much as you'd like ( I know I am). Please keep a healthy vision of me in your mind, send the good vibes and positive outlooks, and please don't worry-I'm gonna be okay.
I'm grateful for my support network of loved ones, friends, family, and colleagues. I hope to keep you all updated on this website. It has been a tough year for all of us, and I miss so many of you tremendously. I'll do my best to stay in touch and keep up a correspondence; if you reach out and I don't respond right away, please know I have so much love for you, and I'm soaking in the healing vibes you're sending me.
Please take care of yourselves and stay safe.
A word from a friend of Bre...
On a Friday night in February, like many Friday nights during the pandemic, I was sitting in the TV room with Bre (Breanna Thompson) watching The Love Witch, a goofy supernatural movie, when she said, "Ow! I have a sharp pain in my armpit." She felt around and discovered two lumps on one side and another lump on the other side.
The following week, she went to her doctor to have it checked out. The doctor wanted to try a round of antibiotics before issuing further tests. A week went by with no improvement. We started to worry. In the following weeks, ultrasounds and other tests were done on her.
Eventually, they performed a biopsy. I happened to be stopping by when the doctor called with the results. It could be cancer. Surgery and scans were done, and the results- stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma. It's scary sounding, but the prognosis is a good one. 90% of people with Hodgkin's fully recover, even at stage 4. But only with effective treatment, including chemotherapy.
Bre has only just begun her rounds of chemotherapy. She needs help to pay for all of the medical bills accumulated in the short time since discovering lumps in her armpits. Bre has been unable to work. Even with insurance, she has thousands in medical debt for life-saving medical treatment already.
Can you help support my best friend to make it through this terrible process?
A few notes...
(1) I know your first thought is 'Oh! This is terrible! I ought to call.' Please, understand that Bre has gone over and over her condition and situation so often over the past several weeks. Text or snail-mail are preferred.
(2) Please follow Bre's page on CaringBridge at https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/brethompson to keep up to date. Please note that CaringBridge is an incredible nonprofit organization and will ask you for donation tributes in the name of Bre. These tributes are not donated to Bre.
Here are some goals...
* Help cover Bre's $8,500 out of pocket maximum, which she has already reached.
* Raise funds to help Bre cover post-treatment scans that will determine if she is cancer-free in the future (each PET scan in coming years will cost her more than $7,000, and they might not be covered if they are considered "diagnostic").
* Raise funds to help Bre cover complementary therapies such as Reiki, yoga, and massage.
* Help support Bre in purchasing a wig (approximately $500) and other supplies to get through chemo with dignity. Unfortunately, it is not required in the state of Nebraska that insurance providers cover wigs for cancer patients, so her insurance does not cover it.
* Help Bre get by in the face of lost wages to cover other bills and expenses during this time.
It's hard to tell your friends and family you're sick. Being the bearer of bad news isn't easy- I know the feeling of what it's like to hear it, your heartbreaks, your breath slips from your mouth, and your stomach drops to the ground. Saying, typing, texting, and sharing I have cancer SUCKS. I have stage IV Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin's Lymphoma; luckily, it's a very treatable, even curable cancer. This healing journey will be rough, yet I'm confident I will come out the other side transformed and bald. I'm not much for war metaphors; I do not believe I'm at war with my body, I'm not fighting, I'm not a warrior, this is not my enemy- this is my body. I thank my distressed organs, for I know they have done all they can to save my whole being. My future is focused on resilience and healing, but please feel free to say F*ck cancer as much as you'd like ( I know I am). Please keep a healthy vision of me in your mind, send the good vibes and positive outlooks, and please don't worry-I'm gonna be okay.
I'm grateful for my support network of loved ones, friends, family, and colleagues. I hope to keep you all updated on this website. It has been a tough year for all of us, and I miss so many of you tremendously. I'll do my best to stay in touch and keep up a correspondence; if you reach out and I don't respond right away, please know I have so much love for you, and I'm soaking in the healing vibes you're sending me.
Please take care of yourselves and stay safe.
A word from a friend of Bre...
On a Friday night in February, like many Friday nights during the pandemic, I was sitting in the TV room with Bre (Breanna Thompson) watching The Love Witch, a goofy supernatural movie, when she said, "Ow! I have a sharp pain in my armpit." She felt around and discovered two lumps on one side and another lump on the other side.
The following week, she went to her doctor to have it checked out. The doctor wanted to try a round of antibiotics before issuing further tests. A week went by with no improvement. We started to worry. In the following weeks, ultrasounds and other tests were done on her.
Eventually, they performed a biopsy. I happened to be stopping by when the doctor called with the results. It could be cancer. Surgery and scans were done, and the results- stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma. It's scary sounding, but the prognosis is a good one. 90% of people with Hodgkin's fully recover, even at stage 4. But only with effective treatment, including chemotherapy.
Bre has only just begun her rounds of chemotherapy. She needs help to pay for all of the medical bills accumulated in the short time since discovering lumps in her armpits. Bre has been unable to work. Even with insurance, she has thousands in medical debt for life-saving medical treatment already.
Can you help support my best friend to make it through this terrible process?
A few notes...
(1) I know your first thought is 'Oh! This is terrible! I ought to call.' Please, understand that Bre has gone over and over her condition and situation so often over the past several weeks. Text or snail-mail are preferred.
(2) Please follow Bre's page on CaringBridge at https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/brethompson to keep up to date. Please note that CaringBridge is an incredible nonprofit organization and will ask you for donation tributes in the name of Bre. These tributes are not donated to Bre.
Here are some goals...
* Help cover Bre's $8,500 out of pocket maximum, which she has already reached.
* Raise funds to help Bre cover post-treatment scans that will determine if she is cancer-free in the future (each PET scan in coming years will cost her more than $7,000, and they might not be covered if they are considered "diagnostic").
* Raise funds to help Bre cover complementary therapies such as Reiki, yoga, and massage.
* Help support Bre in purchasing a wig (approximately $500) and other supplies to get through chemo with dignity. Unfortunately, it is not required in the state of Nebraska that insurance providers cover wigs for cancer patients, so her insurance does not cover it.
* Help Bre get by in the face of lost wages to cover other bills and expenses during this time.
Co-organizers (3)
Clare Maakestad
Organizer
Omaha, NE
Breanna Thompson
Beneficiary
Sandy Lemen
Co-organizer