Iris Smith never imagined she’d face stage four breast cancer and homelessness at the same time.

For most of her life, she’s worked hard to take care of her family — which now includes her disabled daughter and two young grandchildren. She believed that if she kept pushing, kept praying, and kept working, everything would be okay.

But this year, everything changed.

A few months ago, Iris passed out at work from exhaustion. She worked in a busy restaurant and was used to long days on her feet. But this time, her body gave out. When she went to the hospital, doctors ran several tests — and the news that came back changed everything.

She was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer that had already spread to her back, liver, and lungs.

She had to start treatment immediately, and could no longer work to provide for her family.

Without steady income, she’s been trying to hold everything together — paying rent, keeping the lights on, and making sure her grandchildren had the things they needed. But as bills pile up, it’s been harder and harder for her to stay afloat.

Now, on top of battling cancer, she’s also facing eviction. We’ve reached out to local agencies, churches, and nonprofits, and they’ve helped as much as they could. But it’s not enough to cover the rent and the growing costs of transportation to and from treatments.

***UPDATE***

Iris has been evicted from her home and has moved in with her sister for temporary shelter. Space is limited and they are currently sleeping on a pull out sofa bed until other, more permanent housing arrangements can be made.

The family is helping Iris raise funds to:

• Find permanent housing - and to also help cover moving expenses and living expenses for the year once housing is found ($12,000).

• Cover transportation and insurance costs to get to and from treatment ($6,000).

• Provide stability (i.e. developmental activities, food, clothing, furniture, diapers, etc) for her grandchildren while she focuses on recovery ($3,000)

• To pre-pay for burial expenses as Iris does not want to leave that burden behind to her children ($9,000).

Your donations — no matter how small — will help this family find shelter, stay safe, and give Iris the strength to continue fighting.

Here are some ways you can help:

1. Donate whatever you can — every dollar makes a difference.

2. Share this campaign with your friends, family, church, or community.

3. Pray for Iris and her family — for strength, healing, and provision.

Your kindness helps this family continue to believe that there’s hope in the middle of hardship.

From the bottom of our heart — thank you for listening to Iris’s story, sharing it, and helping them hold on to faith, family, and hope.

With love and gratitude,

The family of Iris Smith

Click on the video link to watch Iris’s story on YouTube: