To keep hope alive, sometimes you have to ask others for help. My name is Lidija; I am the mother of a five-year-old daughter and a twelve-year-old son, and my greatest hope is to see them grow up. With my husband Filip, we live in North Macedonia, just north of Greece and once part of Yugoslavia. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most difficult types of breast cancer to diagnose and treat. Since diagnosis, I have gone through eight rounds of chemotherapy and 16 radiation treatments. Nevertheless, the cancer has spread to my liver and lungs. After further tests and consultations, it turns out that the most promising drug therapy for this type of cancer, Trodelvy,* is not covered by our health system, and not even available in North Macedonia. We have had to travel to Serbia for access to treatment, which we must pay for ourselves. It remains very expensive, like most relatively new cancer drugs, with each treatment costing more than $6,000.00 at a recommended interval of 21 days.

So far, with help from family and friends, I have received four therapy sessions. We have managed to raise funds for two more cycles, but for me to recover or get the disease under control, we need your help. Our friends have set up GoFundMe-type appeals in Germany and France, and we are also turning to relatives in America to ask for help. All of us will pass on eventually, though most of us will live past my age of 45. But the thought of leaving my children behind, and of them growing up without their mother, hurts me more than the pain of cancer or the prospect of my end. I appreciate anything you can do to provide us with further hope.

*Sacituzumab govitecan, approved for therapeutic use in 2020-2021 by regulators in the US and EU.

Note: This is being posted by Robert Sorenson, husband of my cousin and close friend Jadranka. Robert will cover all credit card and GoFundMe fees, so every dollar of your donation will go to helping Lidija.