We all know and love our sweet Maria and she’s had a hell of a year.

I’m starting this GoFundMe for Maria because breast cancer has been really putting our girl through the wringer. In short, Maria has had to take months off of work to undergo surgeries and recovery while incurring out-of-pocket medical costs, paying rent, and paying for everyday expenses - all with no income while she heals.

Seeing Maria fight through cancer has put a lot of things in perspective for me. She has been so strong, and so resilient, and so positive, even through this most difficult challenge. Her attitude is absolutely inspiring. She has had so many friends and loved ones show their support over these months by stopping by to visit and to help her out during recovery. Seeing the non-stop list of Maria fans was not surprising, but wow, was it immense! Of course, everyone loves Maria.

I’m thinking this GoFundMe will be helpful to her in a new way. She has been filled with love by the support of her friends and I can tell how it has greatly impacted her healing process. The goal I set to raise is an estimation of the amount of rent, medical costs, and everyday costs that Maria will have to pay during these next few months outside of what she originally budgeted for (explanation to come).

Here’s a longer explanation of Maria’s battle with cancer:

Maria was diagnosed with breast cancer this March and since then, it’s been a scramble of doctor’s visits, planning, budgeting, paperwork, prepping, and care.

Her first surgery in June was a bilateral mastectomy to remove the cancer. Although we all rejoiced when the removal of cancerous growths was pronounced successful, there were complications with Maria’s implants post-op.

Maria had to have a second surgery to remove one of her implants when it didn’t take because the loss of blood flow led to the skin in her surgery area dying. This second surgery was supposed to include the addition of an expander to Maria’s surgery area, but there wasn’t enough tissue to support the expander. So, the second surgery concluded without succeeding in its goal.

This has left Maria with just one implant on her right side, and an empty space with scarring on her left. To be able to remedy the consequences of these surgeries, Maria will need a DEIP Flap surgery this July 23rd. This surgery will require 2-3 months of healing, and after that, Maria will undergo a fourth surgery to add implants to the healed flap area.

This is an insane amount of surgery time, recovery time, and time off work. Maria originally budgeted to be able to take time away from work until only August, as originally discussed with her medical team. But, after the unforeseen complications of her initial surgeries, she’ll now need to take even more time away from her income.

Nobody can plan for cancer and it’s such a random and terrible instance of chance for whoever gets the diagnosis, but Maria has been striving to stay on top of it. She did everything right. She budgeted smartly with her savings to be able to get through the originally projected few months of surgery, recovery, and time away from work. These new complications and added surgeries have now piled on and with them has surfaced new bills.

Thankfully, most of the cost of the surgeries was covered by Maria’s healthcare, but she has still had to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket and will be incurring even more costs in the coming months for her upcoming surgeries and aftercare. On top of that, Maria is still paying her rent and utilities and taking care of her everyday costs, all without income. The healing process for these surgeries has been extreme, not just because of the invasiveness, but due as well to the intensity of medications post-op. Maria needed the time off from work to be able to heal from this as best as her body could, and now she’ll need even more time.

Maria has applied to financial aid, yet deemed ineligible. Her FMLA for her healthcare was set to run out at the end of August, but thankfully the owner of the business she works for has generously decided to cover the cost of continuing it through the end of October. After this, Maria will need to return to work in order to have an income again and maintain her healthcare. At this point, she is hoping to be able to fit these next two surgeries, as well as recovery time, into the time between now and the end of October. She’ll need to be back at work in November regardless as she can’t continue to pay the cost of extending her FMLA, so she is hoping for the best for these upcoming surgeries. Obviously, she has no control over how long these surgeries take to heal, or how successful they may be, but they are necessary for her physical and mental recovery.

Breast cancer is a devastating disease that has unfortunately ravaged the body of our kind, loving, and beautiful Maria. She just wants to feel comfortable in her body like the rest of us. She wants to jog again, swim again, enjoy the outside again. She just wants to heal.

I feel so happy that I’ve been able to spend time with her these past couple months because although she has been dealing with world-crumbling changes, she is a beacon of light. She is the same sweet, funny, and attentive woman as always. When you’re with Maria, you feel special. She makes you feel loved. I’d love to be able to show her the same love and support as she has certainly shown all of us. Beyond that, I want to know that this sweet lady can make it through this disastrous disease and land on her feet.

If you can, please donate to this GoFundMe to help Maria with all of her upcoming costs. $10,000 is only an approximation of the amount she’ll be paying in these next few months for the out-of-pocket medical costs for TWO more surgeries, 3 months of rent, food, and other daily expenses. It will actually likely be more (future medical bills to come), and she has already paid thousands in medical bills as is. The money will go straight to Maria, and will be impactful no matter the amount. If you’re unable to offer anything monetarily, consider sharing this GoFundMe to make it seen! Thank you so much for reading and thinking of our beloved Maria.