<div>I've started this GoFundMe to help cover the costs for myself and my family as I leave to attend a cancer retreat centre in BC that specializes in holistic medicine, addressing terrain issues in my body, and strengthening my own immune system to fight cancer. It's one of a kind in Canada.
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<div>As many of you know, I began this battle with stage 4 ovarian cancer in December 2022 when my youngest was only 11 months old, my oldest was only 9, and I was 35.
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<div>I began aggressive chemotherapy in January 2023, going every 21 days and completing six full rounds of treatment. A couple of months later, I had a full hysterectomy, and that August I was in remission! The Cross Cancer Centre continued to monitor me every three months. I stayed in remission for about a year, but during a CT scan in September 2024, my oncologist began to see the early signs of the cancer returning. Again, we monitored it for a year because my oncologist said it was slow-growing, and that was all they could do.
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<div>Then, in November 2025, I went to the emergency room because I had experienced a severe headache behind my right eye the night before that caused temporary vision loss. At the hospital, they sent me for a CT scan. Afterward, I went to the washroom, and when I returned to my room, my doctor was waiting for me. My first thought was, "Here we go again." And I was right. They had found a malignant brain tumour.
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<div>I spent several days in the hospital while they ran more tests to determine whether I was a candidate for brain surgery. I wasn't, because the tumour was too close to the area controlling my fine motor skills. The doctor explained that, given my age and having two young children, surgery would likely mean spending months in rehabilitation relearning those skills.
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<div>I was then referred to the Gamma department, where they took amazing care of me. Before treatment, they required another scan. After that scan, I learned there wasn't just one malignant brain tumour—there were two. They booked me in for the first week of December 2025. I underwent a two-hour radiation treatment, and a couple of weeks later I began what was supposed to be my second set of six aggressive chemotherapy treatments every 21 days.
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<div>Unfortunately, my body only allowed me to complete three full rounds. During my second round, I was halfway through my second IV medication when my stomach started cramping, my face became flushed, and I had difficulty breathing. The nurses noticed immediately, stopped the medication, and I went into anaphylactic shock. I required two doses of epinephrine to get my breathing under control and stayed overnight at the Cross Cancer Centre because the reaction could rebound.
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<div>My oncologist put me on multiple allergy medications every day, doubling the dosage leading up to each chemotherapy appointment. I made it through round three and four, but when round five came, the medication that had caused the anaphylactic reaction had only entered my body by 1 mL before I started flushing again. The nurses stopped the treatment immediately, kept me in the hospital for hours for monitoring, and at my next oncology appointment, I asked to opt out of my sixth round.
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<div>There is a type of immunotherapy available, but we chose not to do it at that time so we could save it for the next six rounds my oncologist wants to start this fall.
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<div>I spent the beginning half of 2026 carrying an EpiPen everywhere I went, just in case, along with a green information pamphlet so that if anything happened, paramedics or emergency staff would know how to treat me. They also warned me that it could reach a point where the nurses might not be able to get ahead of the reaction, and it could become catastrophic.
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<div>The chemotherapy I went through in 2026 took such a toll on both my body and my mind. I feel as though I've aged 15 years in the last eight months. There were many days spent crying because I was in pain, sleeping endless hours, and struggling just to walk up the stairs, all while my daughters witnessed it. I often didn't have the energy to play with them or take them out to do things. Many times, they would play while I simply sat and watched.
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<div>I continue to have CT scans every three months and brain MRIs every three months. The chemotherapy worked only minimally to mildly reduce the tumours. The radiation, however, was incredibly successful, shrinking my brain tumours by 90%.
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<div>I recently requested a PET scan to understand what was happening throughout my entire body. The scan showed that the tumours we had been trying to treat with chemotherapy had started growing again—and fairly aggressively—with two new spots appearing within five weeks. They also explained that chemotherapy doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier. That's why the brain radiation came first, to get those tumours under control, while the chemotherapy was meant to treat the tumours in my lymphatic system before they could spread to other organs.
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<div>All of the cancer seems to be making its home in my lymphatic system: my left shoulder, the front of my abdomen, the back of my abdomen, my mammary lymph node, and a lymph node in my upper chest.
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<div>My body, mind, and soul have been telling me that I need a break from conventional medicine. When I came across this place that specializes in cancer care and holistic medicine, I knew I had to go. I truly feel like this is my last chance to get through this awful disease.
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<div>My family has been working incredibly hard to raise the money needed to get me to BC. They've managed to come up with the down payment, but I'd really love to take some of that burden off their shoulders and ask for your help in covering the remaining balance—or as much of it as we can.
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<div>Retreat is August 16 - September 5, 2026
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<div>Cancer doesn't affect only me. It affects everyone who loves me. It's hard on all of us, and I can't wait to get better.
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<div>With love,
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<div><br />
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<div>Cassie ❤️ Spotted Deer
</div>

Marlene Youngblood

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Help Cassie attend BC Holistic Cancer Retreat Centre

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UC Tipping v20250115 International

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Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

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Custom users

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PYMK has donors

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Help Cassie attend BC Holistic Cancer Retreat Centre

Still $10,095 to go. Help us build momentum.