Help Lee Heal: Brain Surgery Recovery Support

Hi friends, family, and compassionate strangers—

My name is Shade Rae, and I’m creating this fundraiser for my mom, Lee Speed—a woman whose strength, warmth, and generosity have touched so many lives for so many year's. Now, she’s facing one of the hardest chapters of her life, and she needs our support more than ever.

Recently, my mom was diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumor, measuring over 2.5 cm. located at the top of her spinal cord and wrapped around her optic nerve and deep, sensitive areas near her brainstem. We’re grateful it isn’t cancer, but its size and location make it extremely dangerous. She’s been suffering from debilitating headaches, vision loss, ringing in her ears, and terrifying spells of fainting and seizures, one in which she passed out on the street and fractured her left hand. Watching her body betray her has been devastating.

On August 7, she’ll undergo major brain surgery at Duke Hospital, where a team of neurosurgeons will try to remove as much of the tumor as possible without causing further damage. The tumor’s placement makes the procedure delicate, high-stakes, and life-saving. Her expected recovery is 10 to 12 weeks, possibly longer depending on the outcome.

That’s three months—or more—of no work, no income, and a total focus on healing. And in today’s world, taking that kind of time off is nearly impossible without support.

My mom is not someone who likes to ask for help. She’s always been the one showing up for others—bringing meals and delicious pastries to friends, giving a warm big smile on a cold day, being an amazing and dedicated mother, friend, and teacher. She’s been the caretaker, the helper, the rock.

Now, she needs us.

We’re hoping to raise $10,000 to help cover her rent, bills, groceries, and out-of-pocket medical expenses during recovery, so she can rest and heal without the crushing weight of financial stress. The last thing someone should be worried about while recovering from brain surgery is whether they can afford their next meal or keep the lights on.

If you’re able to give—any amount at all—it truly helps. And if you can’t donate financially right now, sharing this campaign and sending love her way means the world.

We are doing our best to meet this moment with strength, but we need community. We need grace. And most of all, we need you.

From the bottom of our hearts—thank you for caring. Thank you for helping. Thank you for giving Lee the space she needs to survive this and come out stronger on the other side.

With love and hope and peace of mind.