We're Bruce and Catherine Mason, the parents of Patience Ann Allaway. We all live in Driggs, Idaho. In August, our dear Patience went in for her very first mammogram at the young age of 40. The shocking result was a diagnosis of aggressive Stage III breast cancer. Patience's primary care provider immediately referred her to the Huntsman Cancer Center - Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg, Idaho. She began what should have been 20 weeks of chemotherapy.

Patience's treatment plan includes surgery at Huntsman Cancer Center in Salt Lake City, radiation therapy to treat lymph nodes five days a week for 4-5 weeks in Idaho Falls, then eventually reconstruction surgery back in Salt Lake City. Nine weeks into chemotherapy, Patience developed a severe reaction to some of the drugs involved and had to stop chemo. As a result, her surgery has been expedited to early January, and she may need more, different chemo afterward.

Patience has had numerous difficulties in her life and survived them all. Her husband died suddenly after five years of marriage and the miscarriage of their baby. Owen and Patience lived in the UK as Owen was British. Once he died, moving back to the United States seemed the most workable solution, so she left her home and her happy future as a mother and wife. Not long after, Patience developed epilepsy and several other health issues that prevented her from working. While insurance pays her basic medical expenses, many necessities are not covered. Driggs is a remote mountain town, and travel expenses to her treatment centers is an all-day affair covering many miles. Winter weather is making travel slow and difficult.

We seek help with expenses such as gas to travel back and forth from Driggs to Salt Lake City, Idaho Falls, and Rexburg, lodging while in Salt Lake City, and hopefully, a month-long rental in Idaho Falls during her daily radiation treatment. We want to let her rest and recover rather than endure the stress of the drive to and from Idaho Falls every day on icy roads. Post-surgery medical supplies and accessible clothing are also necessary. As Bruce and I are retired, we are blessed with the time to care for our daughter, but money dwindles quickly.

Patience is resilient, but this new setback is more than challenging. She must come to terms with her changed body, poorer stamina and health for the present, the mental health issues accompanying a double mastectomy, and wondering if cancer will come back for the rest of her life. Alleviating the financial worries associated with all of this will go a long way toward her recovery.

Thank you for anything you can contribute to helping Patience!