I've started this GoFundMe for my best friend of 30+ years, Michelle.

Michelle’s world was turned upside down in June 2025 when she was diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 colon cancer. Despite the devastating news, she bravely began chemotherapy, with her fiancée Steve by her side, and by December, there was a glimmer of hope—the cancer had shrunk enough to make surgery possible. But just as things seemed to be improving, tragedy struck again. In November, Steve lost his job, and on January 2, 2026, he passed away unexpectedly from an ischemic embolic stroke at 43 years old.

Now, Michelle and her 5-year-old daughter are facing another crisis. Steve's estranged wife of 15+ years has decided the house he bought and has lived in for over 3 years with Michelle belongs to her (legally it does because they did not get divorced) and is evicting Michelle and her 5-year-old daughter from the only home they’ve known, leaving them with nowhere to go during an already overwhelming time. Michelle is fighting not only for her health but also for her family’s stability and future.

The funds raised will help Michelle secure legal representation to fight the eviction, cover moving expenses, and pay for essential bills while she recovers from surgery. Your support will give Michelle and her daughter the chance to find safety and stability, so Michelle can focus on healing and beating her cancer.

If you knew Michelle, you would know that she is one of the most empathetic and compassionate people you could meet. Always providing sound and realistic advice, and genuinely caring about how people are treated. No matter how someone acted toward her or treated her, she would never wish ill will on them. She's under an immense amount of stress and I am the only support system she has, and I'm over 200 miles away. I make frequent trips out to her to help get her to appointments and get errands done, but she needs to relocate and not have the constant stress of this pending eviction over her while she recovers from surgery and is trying to beat this cancer and care for her daughter.

We are deeply grateful for any help you can offer—every donation and share brings hope to Michelle’s family.