Help Miss Tara With Breast Cancer Treatment Costs

December 21st, 2021

Hello Barranca & Campus Kumon Families,

I have exciting news. THIS PICTURE IS ME RINGING THE BELL. WHAT BELL? THE BELL THAT SIGNIFIES I FINISHED CHEMOTHERAPY!! 


I am finally entering my final stage of treatment. This will consist of twenty-five sessions of radiation followed by ten years of hormone blockade pills & yearly screenings. Words cannot describe how thankful I am to have all of your support during my cancer journey. The ability to focus primarily on physical and mental healing without the worry of affording treatment has allowed me to keep parts of myself that I thought would disappear due to this tragedy. But here I am, keeping my promise of returning to work with the same big heart, bright light, and love for teaching your children :).

Logistically, I plan on returning to Campus Kumon part-time for Jan/Feb while undergoing radiation therapy. Once radiation is done, you can bet that I will hit the ground running with more determination and grit than ever before. For any parent/student who has met me, you already know how determined I am towards ensuring student achievements; even before this diagnosis. So I hope your kids are ready! I also wanted to let you know that any extra donation funds that were not used for medical expenses this past year, will be used for medical expenses for this upcoming year. Any left over after that will be put into savings towards surrogacy (in the beyond future….). I am beginning to accept that the rest of my life (after cancer recovery) has been changed forever. I know that there are new barriers and challenges towards simple things like my daily routine, traveling, or even becoming a mom. I know that many life-skills I used to not think about are now harder. But I also know that I still have a future. A life that is still mine for the taking.

I could sit here and tell you all about what I’ve done to get through this so far, but instead of boring you with the list of tv shows and baking activities I’ve done, here are a few mantras I’ve told myself now that my time with chemo is forever OVER.

1) Stronger tomorrow. A little bit stronger in mentality and physical endurance every day. Feel comfortable in yourself and stop comparing yourself to what you used to be capable of. Times are different now, it will take even more time to “get back to normal”. But every day, you’re one step closer towards getting stronger.

2) Set boundaries with you and your loved ones that reflect your own inner-joy and comfortability level. Create REALISTIC expectations for yourself and be accepting of them when they need to change based on new situations.

3) Be patient. Be kind. Don’t be that person that becomes bitter because you were dealt such a low hand. Life can get troubling at any given time and for any given person, so choose to see the positive throughout all of that.

Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and see you all in 2022!!

With Love,

Miss Tara
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August 23rd, 2021

Hello Kumon Families & Staff,

Wow, has it really been over a month since I last posted an update? I feel like I have been living in a time-capsule that is  just centered around doctors appointments and finding the joy in simple moments. To give you guys the short-short, In the past month, I have undergone egg retrieval surgery, a port procedure, and two infusions of Chemotherapy. I have two more sessions of a biweekly Chemo Infusion and then starting October, I will be going in for weekly Chemo Infusions. Oh, and I have also shaved my head in anticipation for the hair loss. I decided to show you guys a picture of me during my second chemo infusion, which was just last Friday 8.20.21. As you can see, the “tara-smile” is still there, and nothing will stop me from coming back to you guys as a healthier and stronger version of myself :).

The chemo has been hard, the days have been tiring, and the nights have been long. But the fight is still stronger than ever and the will to thrive its ever-growing.  A lot of my friends and loved ones are asking me how I am able to handle all of these changes as a twenty-six year old. My simple answer is fully knowing that every painful step that I endure right now is a step towards recovery. The blessing is in the destination; thee ability to have my life back next year. The treacherous part is the journey and finding the joyous moments in my life even throughout cancer treatment.

It’s also crazy that summer is already over! I’ve worked through every back-to-school time for the last five years, and I can’t even think about how much older all of Kumon kids must be! I love you each and every one of you guys endlessly and I miss you all dearly!

With Love,
Miss. Tara

July 8th, 2021
Hi everyone. Tara here with yet another health update. I hope that you all had an amazing Fourth of July weekend. My mastectomy recovery has been going a lot smoother than I thought. I am able to walk around and go through my days with only cold compresses and no pain killers. I am still unable to use my left arm for day-to-day tasks but I have gotten used to using my right arm in it’s place. Unfortunately, I have to go in for a second surgery this upcoming Friday, July 9th. Reason being is that 4/8 of my lymph nodes that were removed tested positive for cancer, along with some muscle tissue. After surgery, I have a very small window where I will start egg fertility treatment and harvesting. Once my body is ready, I have an anticipated plan to start chemotherapy by the beginning of August. Chemotherapy can last anywhere from 3 - 8 months and after that is done I have 5 weeks of radiation. And then… hopefully…treatment is done.

When I heard about this treatment plan, the first thought that entered my mind was, “ That’s way too long to be absent from work! I miss the kids too much”. In response to that, I am hopeful to say that I do have plans to return to work after my surgery recovery is done. I will probably wait to see how the chemotherapy makes me feel and will most likely be working remotely to start. But it’s a start. It’s still hard to believe that my only connection to all of you is through these emails now, when I used to see so many of your faces and interactions via text/call or at the center. But I am hopeful! I am hopeful for a speedy recovery and I am hopeful for the future. Thank you for keeping me in your mind and hearts and I hope to see you guys soon!

Here is a pic of me 4 days after my surgery.
Here is a pic of my family showing their support in all pink. It is ironically my favorite color and also the color of breast cancer awareness. 

With Love, 
Tara
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June 13th, 2021

Hi Barranca and Campus Families! Ms. Tara here. I just wanted to give you all an update on my health and cancer treatment plans. Seems like yesterday I was emailing everyone and thanking families for their patience with us while we navigated through COVID-19 together. Now I am thanking you all for your endless love and support with my breast cancer diagnosis. Thank you for all of your thoughts, prayers, donations, patience, and kindness. 

Campus Families may have noticed that I have not been at work lately. I have been working when I can, but I mainly have been focusing on my life plans post-surgery. At the young age of 26, I definitely feel like a rug has been pulled from beneath my feet and that I am left not really knowing where I stand in all this. But finally, I can say that my surgery is next week! On Friday, June 18th I will undergo mastectomy surgery of my left breast. Afterwards, decisions will be made on whether I go through chemotherapy next or radiation. If chemotherapy is recommended next, then I plan on having my eggs preserved prior to chemotherapy starting (if possible). From a physical wellness standpoint, the most I can do is wait until my surgery date. I have endless possible side effects that may occur after the surgery that could alter my quality of life permanently. But I choose to stay positive. 

From a mental-wellness standpoint, I am doing okay. I am beyond thankful to work with such caring employers that have allowed me to take as much time as I need off to process and heal. Shout out to Ms. Michelle for jumping right back into work after maternity leave, and handling things without me. I have worked with Ms. Michelle for over 5 years now, and in that time I have become her right-hand woman. I cannot believe that I have to take a step back the minute she returns! We had such big plans in store for 2021. But life is what happens when you're busy making other plans, right? And health comes first. I am taking extra time to understand all of my emotions and life-long changes that have occurred because of this diagnosis. 

My plan is to continue focusing on physical and mental wellness, and come back to you all ready and stronger than ever. For my long-time campus families, I have loved seeing your kids grow throughout this pandemic. Seeing them back at the center (with some of the kids taller than me!) makes enduring this last year so worth it. For all the new families that haven’t met me yet, your child’s education is in great hands and I cannot wait to meet you all when I return! I will continue to update as I know more. Thank you for your time.

With Love, 
Ms. Tara

P.S Here’s a picture of me holding Ms. Michelle’s second baby :). She is the epitome of “enjoying life’s simple treasures” and will make a great addition to our Kumon family... Very soon ;).

Here's some pics of me and her first child named Mason

Lastly, here's a pic of me and her dog Takko. 

I feel like it is safe to  say that we are a “family” run business <3. 


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This is Tara  - a bright, beautiful and strong young woman who likes baking and loves kids.  Here she is teaching my 3 year old son his Kumon lesson. 

On April 20, 2021, she received the gut-wrenching news that no 26 year old should ever have to hear - she was diagnosed with breast cancer (Grade 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma). 

Tara has been handling this life-altering news with an incredible amount of strength, positivity and grace.  Like how many of us know Tara, her remarkable personality and strong mindset have continued to shine through, even during this very confusing and unbelievably challenging time.  

It's hard for me to put into words what Tara means to me.  In 2015, she was hired as a  part-time teacher assistant at our Irvine Kumon center.  I quickly noticed that she became a fast favorite amongst all of our pre-school and kindergarten students (and parents!).  Tara has a special spark that absolutely lights up from within when she is working with kids - it is impossible to miss.  Over the months and years, I saw that not only is Tara a great teacher, but she is also hard working, dedicated, selfless and above all, passionate about kids.  I was very lucky that she accepted Irvine Kumon's offer to become our full-time manager when she graduated from UCI in 2017. 

Tara, Mrs. Choi & Michelle at a Kumon Conference in Chicago in 2019

Since becoming our Kumon manager, I have witnessed Tara blossom from a young college student who only knew she loved kids to now a young woman with an incredible amount of confidence, business skill, and a thirst to keep learning and bettering herself and the things around her.  If you know Tara, you know that she is always striving for improvement, whether it is in perfecting her baking, her management skills, or being the absolute best pillar of teaching for our Kumon students and their development.   She has overcome many life challenges and became only stronger and smarter from them, and I don't doubt for one second that she will overcome this new obstacle as well. 

Tara is about to embark on her cancer treatment journey that is going to involve - at the least -  countless doctor and specialty appointments, invasive surgery (or surgeries), along with the possibility of chemotherapy, radiation and/or freezing her eggs.   My wish for Tara through this is that she can focus her mental and physical energy on her healing and rapid recovery. The last thing we want is for her to worry about her medical expenses. 

I hope that through our help together, we can at the very least cover Tara's out of pocket maximum for her medical expenses during this upcoming year.  


Tara and her family in Ojai

Tara doing Kumon with Michelle's son, Mason.


Thank you again for your time, donation of any amount, and your prayers for Tara's fast and easy recovery.


With love, 

Michelle & Mrs. Choi