Hey there! I’m Kristen—soon to be 42, childless dog mom, and newly diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Stage 2 Breast Cancer.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, I moved to Puerto Rico in 2021 for a better life. But now, life has thrown me an unexpected challenge, and I need to return to the States for treatment so that I can be closer to friends & family, and receive the care and support that I need and deserve.

My plan:

a double mastectomy, lymph node removal, and reconstruction, possibly at Jefferson University—the same hospital that treated my mother before I lost her to cancer at just 11 years old. I never imagined I’d be walking a similar path, but here I am, and in my heart I believe she unwittingly prepared me for this. I will also be contacting Temple University and UPenn, a lot of leg work to see which is approved by insurance and who can work with me and my circumstances. Following breast removal so far, is a recommended 5 year plan of hormone therapy, which will unfortunately shock me into early menopause, but hopefully help me avoid chemotherapy and/or radiation. Although, there is a possibility such treatments are necessary depending on the outcome of further testing following mastectomy. All of this can and will knock me out of any availability to work, for an unknown period of time.

I'm scared, but as ready for this roller coaster of a ride as I'll ever be.

I’m incredibly grateful to my half-sister, Mandy, who has offered her home in New Jersey to care for me post-op. But getting there—crossing an ocean and putting my self-employed work on hold—is a massive financial burden. And unfortunately, my dog BeBe refuses to get a job.

So now I humbly state, I need your help:

Time is critical—Stage 2 can quickly become something more dangerous and the goal here is to move swiftly and boldly. Every donation, every share, every kind word gets me one step closer to the care I need.

Let’s fight this together. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ❤️