Help Manita Kick cancer's ass!!

Thanks so much for your care and support!
Here's what's going on...
I broke 3 ribs in July last year. When the Doctor checked out my ribs, she found a lump which turned out to be cancer. I began treatment in August 2019.

The treatment is 4 types of chemotherapy infused into my body every 3 weeks. It feels like the worst flu and the worst hangover you’ve ever had, and lasts for 3 weeks. Food tastes gross and your mouth doesn't like textures, so it's hard to eat anything. I have lost my hair, have shooting pain in my leg bones (and hands and feet), diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea, sore mouth, hot flashes, bleeding fingertips (and nose) and acne all over my body. On top of that my retina detached after the first chemo treatment - so I had an eye operation and couldn't see for 6 weeks.

I just had an operation last week and will start 6 weeks of radiation in a month. The chemo will continue this whole year, thankfully only 2 types at a time.

The financial burdens of medical bills and rent are stressing me out. I am self employed and don't have any sick pay or financial buffer when I can't work. Luckily I am still able to massage, but less than half my usual hours. I stayed with some amazing friends (Claire and Kris) to save some money on rent for a while, but now I've moved into my own place. Rent for my living and work spaces comes to $2500 a month. This is very hard to come up with while going through chemo! I have already leaned on my credit card too much, the debt is stressing me out.

Treatments like acupuncture, massage and supplements would help me feel better, and I could have, once rent and bills are covered and the credit card debt is paid down.

I love my work and find it fulfilling to keep massaging and health coaching. I only open my schedule when I'm feeling well enough to give exceptional therapy, so please do book a massage or a health coaching session if you’d like one.
www.radiantmassagetherapy.com
Casey Muldoon and I are offering the  Fit X Fifty program to put ourselves and others on track to be vibrantly healthy at age fifty. Ask me about that if you're interested.
 
Thank you so much for any support you can give to my GoFundMe.
In gratitude,
Manita

Claire Kellogg helped me set up my fundraiser, here are the lovely words she wrote:

Kris and I ran into a buddy of ours out dancing in October and I could tell something was up. She
disclosed to me that she had cancer and that this was her first time out dancing since she had started treatment months ago.  We talked a little while as she knew that I was an oncology nurse. She did not want to open up to the community quite yet as it is a challenging thing to talk about. 

A month later I actually ran into her at work. The side effects of her chemo affected her ability to work full time and she was having trouble with housing. I asked Kris that night if she could come stay in our spare room for the remaining of her treatment and he agreed.  

Seeing the home side of cancer is so different than seeing patients and helping them at work. The fatigue, the inability to eat, and just the struggle to manage regular life stuff. As an oncology nurse, I know that the drugs that Manita was receiving causes what's called peripheral neuropathy, where you have pain in your fingers, and also causes fatigue, this challenged her ability to do her work as a massage therapist.

Also as an oncology nurse I talk to patients every day about either their financial burden OR how grateful they are to have insurance because the treatment is astronomically expensive, but is also life or death. 

Manita is self employed, unable to work her full hours and has minimal insurance coverage, so this has been an incredible financial burden which seems terrifying to me.  I don't actually know the numbers, nor have I asked, but I do see the price tags on the drugs I infuse every day at work and it is incredibly scary to manage medical bills, not be able to work, yet have to pay for living expenses in Seattle.  

Additionally she has surgery and radiation in the next few months which add side effects, limit mobility and will further limit her ability to work. 

This GoFundMe is to help support her financially during her treatments.