Help Keri Williams Fight Stage 3b Breast Cancer

Hi, my name is Stephanie Hellstern. I am one of Keri Williams' close friends. It saddens my heart to share that in late October 2022, she was diagnosed with Stage 3b breast cancer. Shortly after being diagnosed last year, she was her usual "Keri" fighting spirit and was ready to kick cancer in the butt. Since then, she has had a downfall of disappointing scans, surgeries, and pathology results, that have made it almost impossible to hold steady employment. Shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, she left a bad marriage in December 2022. She moved to Texas to start all over with her 11-year-old son, and fight for her life. She is getting some of the best treatment possible and has a good local support system.

Keri is an incredible, full-time single mom, and an amazing friend. In my eyes, she is a warrior. She would give the shirt off of her back, give her last dollar, or rush out the door to help someone in need. She has owned her own cleaning business in the past, but was most currently a Realtor in NV, and gave it all up to leave the bad marriage, and make sure she and her son were safe, along with having the support of friends to help her fight cancer. She is doing the best she can. She is a beaming light of happiness, positivity, and joy. I want to show her that she is not alone, that it is okay to ask for help during hard times, and that she doesn't need to be strong all of the time.

With the results of pathology, starting chemo, and her recent surgeries, she has had quite a few setbacks. For the foreseeable future, she is unable to maintain a steady income, or be herself. Chemo has caused her to become sick, with horrid headaches, nausea, trips to the ER, and days in bed. Keri has the go big or go home mentality, she is constantly on the go, and loves to stay active. Before being diagnosed, she was very active, working out several days per week, paddleboarding, kayaking and hiking. Her battle with cancer has forced her to slow down, she can't be as active as she normally is, and it has taken a toll on her mental health. She started rehab therapy to help with the range of motion in her upper extremities, and will most likely need continued therapy after she is in remission. She has to take frequent trips to her surgeon, due to developing necrosis in her left breast, along with trips to her oncologist for treatments, and random days in between, for fluids. All of the setbacks have caused a financial burden for her and her son.

Keri has shared her medical diagnosis with me, and it is as follows:

She has stage 3b Metastatic Invasive Ductal Carcinoma breast cancer. Her double mastectomy was performed on 1/18/22, along with the removal of 4 lymph nodes. Shortly thereafter, she developed necrosis in her left breast and was scheduled for emergency surgery on 1/23/22. There was a possibility of another surgery for additional necrosis, however, she started healing in the right direction. Her surgeon cleared her to start chemo on 2/21/23. She will have 20 weeks of chemo, then 5 weeks of radiation, at 5 days per week. After she is healed from her radiation, and given there are no setbacks, she will have an exchange surgery performed by her plastic surgeon. In addition, she will be on 10 years of hormone therapy, and will possibly need to have a hysterectomy performed.

With this campaign, I am hoping we can relieve the financial burden her diagnosis has caused, allowing her to focus on fighting for her life and spending time with her son. Money raised will help with medical bills not covered by insurance, monthly expenses, after-school child care/extracurricular activities, groceries, home care not covered by insurance, and travel cost for treatments. Your generosity is greatly appreciated, and I know Keri would do the same for someone else.

Any amount you can donate will make a difference. If you cannot donate at this time, please share this page with others in your life & leave her words of encouragement during this time. Thank you so much to everyone, and please keep my friend Keri and her family in your thoughts and prayers as she begins her battle against cancer.