Hi everyone, I’m Maxine! I’m starting this fundraiser for my sister, Karen Dueñas. What started out as a hard lump in her breast has unfortunately turned out to be metastatic stage Ill breast cancer- and after further scans and biopsies, it is now confirmed that she has invasive ductal carcinoma and metastatic carcinoma in her lymph node. She is currently in the throes of chemotherapy, and the next steps will be surgery and further radiation.

Who is Karen?

Karen is 37 years old and has three children- my niece is 5 and my nephews (twins) are 3. She has been a stay at home mom for the past 5 years. Her spouse is a nurse, but will be taking leave to assist with her care and advocating for her during all appointments.

Who’s helping her?

My parents have temporarily moved nearby to babysit, shuttle the kids to and from school, and assist with daily needs.

I am one of Karen’s three sisters. My younger sister is local to Karen and also takes on daily tasks such as childcare, cooking and cleaning, and organizing activities. My youngest sister (out of state) has also arranged with her work to let her live and work from Arizona over the summer. I am out of state and visit once a month during post-chemo days, to assist with entertaining the kids while she rides out the side effects of the therapy. I know this sounds like a riddle to figure out how many sisters I have- but I want to explain in detail what we are contributing now, while all balancing our full time jobs to support Karen and her family.

What will my donation support?

Karen is blessed to have decent medical coverage, but specialist care, crucial medicines, and long hospital stays add up exponentially. Your support will help her family with the costs of cancer care so that they can stay on top of their medical bills, mortgage, and the costs to take care of three growing kids.

Our entire family had been humbled by the situation and we sincerely appreciate your compassion in this time. ❤️

If you can’t donate, please feel free to drop words of encouragement or prayers! We are grateful for any positivity sent her way! ❤️