Many years ago, Crystal came to work in the ICU with us. We all bonded and became fast best friends, and we love her like a sister! She was an excellent ICU nurse, became a fantastic CRNA, is a wonderful friend, wife, mother. She opened her own medical spa in 2020 called Aesthetically Pleasing, while working full time at her job as a nurse anesthetist. Everything was going great, and she was living her best life. Then in July of 2020, at the age of 39, she received a diagnosis that started a journey no one wants to be on. She was diagnosed with Stage 2A breast cancer with a 3.5cm tumor that had metastasized to her lymph nodes. She endured 6 months of chemo, continuing to work as much as she could through it all, despite the side effects and the fact that she was at risk of being immunocompromised from the particular chemo she was receiving. Cancer is very scary. A pandemic is very scary. But to have cancer in the midst of a pandemic is unbelievably scary! Despite all of this, she persevered, continuing to work whenever she physically could. In February 2021, Crystal had a double mastectomy. After her recovery, she returned to work, and continued working through 28 rounds of radiation. However, she had complications from radiation that led to another, larger and more complex surgery (latissimus dorsi flap) in July of 2021.  They performed this major surgery in an attempt to salvage the previous reconstruction. By this time, a whole year had passed. A whole year of surgeries, radiation, chemo, complications, doctor bills, copays, life expenses, missed income. Crystal has tried so hard to continue to work through it all, and has been the definition of a true warrior! If you aren't familiar with the job of a CRNA, it's very physical, needing full use/strength of your arms, and being on your feet for long, mentally and physically taxing shifts. It's a tough job even when you are in good health, we can only imagine how tough it's been for her during all of this treatment. Crystal is now in physical therapy to regain the use/strength of her left arm, which was affected by her surgeries. She cannot work as a CRNA without the use of that arm, since that is the arm she uses to intubate patients for surgery. Due to stipulations in the disability policies, she doesn't qualify for short or long term disability, and is now out of work with no income. She has now been going through this struggle for 16 months, and it will continue for the foreseeable future. To qualify for LTD, she needs to be out 180 days, and since she went back to work during radiation, that caused her to not qualify for another several months. To qualify for STD, she needs to go back to work for 14 days, and then could file a new STD claim, but she is unable to work. She is caught in a medical/financial Catch-22, and it has thrown their family into an unforeseen financial crisis. Bills continue to mount, and she continues to be physically unable to work. She's had multiple complications, with several more surgeries anticipated. Through all of this, she has tried to stay positive and strong, but she and Rick and Teagan have endured so much....we feel it's time for those of us who love them to step up and help them through this rough time. It is our goal, because we love them so, to help them through their financial crisis, to lift them up and wrap them in love and caring, as Crystal continues to fight this long battle. We hope you will join us by contributing to this fundraiser. Please share share share, so we can reach all the people who know and love them. No matter how big or small the contribution, every bit helps us show them how much they are loved, and that we are fighting alongside them in this battle! 

<3 From Sharon Pearson, Lois Bandy, Angie Mihulka, and Renee Hoyle <3