Hi, my name is Jim. My wife, Krystn, is battling Stage III rectal cancer. She was diagnosed on June 2nd of this year and it’s turned our world upside down. You see, Krystn has spent the past few years being caregiver to her mom and myself (I had a double lung transplant). She’s been amazing; looking after her elderly mom who had dementia, having her mom move in with us, helping her mom through a cancer diagnosis, and finally grieving the loss of her mom after her death this past March. Before she could even begin to grieve, she received her own cancer diagnosis. Now, my beautiful wife, who has always been so strong and an advocate for others, finds herself the patient and needing to rely on others.

Krystn works with elementary aged students with special needs. Her students are too young to receive a COVID vaccination and she works in very close proximity with her students, so masks and hand washing would provide minimal protection in her immune-suppressed state. Because of this, her cancer team has advised her to go on medical leave while she goes through her cancer treatment. She will not be able to return until April 2022 at the earliest. This means she will lose her income and health insurance, which we both rely on, for several months. Even with the small amount we have in savings, we find we will need more funds to cover our costs during this time. Not only will we need to be able to pay such monthly bills as our mortgage, utilities, COBRA, and groceries, we will incur substantial costs related to her treatment. She still has nearly $14,000 that can be charged to us as out of pocket medical costs; plus there are the copays for her many prescriptions; travel to and from the hospital, which is in a nearby city and where she will need to travel daily once radiation begins; office visits (there are many office visits); and over the counter medications and supplements that are helpful during her treatment. She is looking at four months of chemotherapy, two months of chemo radiation therapy, followed by significant surgery to remove the cancer.

As humbling as it is, we need your help in order to get through her treatment. If you can help, you’d be assisting a dedicated special education teacher, wife, friend, sister, aunt, cousin, and lady with a heart of gold and a laugh the size of the ocean focus on her recovery an beating cancer. Thank you so much for your support. ❤️