UPDATE 9/12:

First, a big thank you to everyone who has contributed to this fund so far. With your help, we were able to get the tree taken down today. We had a licensed arborist come and examine it, and she explained that, since it was missing its central anchoring point, it was a risk to keep the tree, especially as it was so tall and so close to both our house and our neighbor's house. As much as she hated to admit it, the tree needed to come down to be safe.

We are going to get the stump ground down. We also plan to maybe get a bird bath or something to fill the space, as it feels very empty now. We really loved this tree, so it's sad to see it gone.

We are hoping to plant a new tree somewhere on our property, maybe on the other side of the driveway or maybe even in the back yard. We're still exploring options, and we won't move forward with that for a while.

Once we get the stump ground down and have covered the costs of both, we will likely report back on how things are going financially with treatments. That being said, the tree process cost about $2k for everything (more accurate numbers will follow), and medical bills so far are also around $2k as of now - but they'll only go up from here.

Thank you again to everyone who has helped us out and pitched in so far. We wouldn't be able to do this without you, and now our houses are safer thanks to your generosity.

ORIGINAL POST

Hey all. Without going into a ton of detail here, we recently discovered that I have breast cancer. (For more information about that journey, please visit the CaringBridge site we're maintaining to keep people in the loop) A week after the diagnosis, a huge storm blew through the area and decimated the tree in our yard. It's been a pretty stressful time. We have had people asking us how they can best help and support us in this situation, so we are using this platform as a way to gather funds to help us get through all of this.

What are the funds for?

First, we will need to pay attention to the tree in our yard. The tree itself was huge (and still is as you can see in some pictures). But in 2024, when a 'hurricane' blew through Nebraska, it took about half of the tree out with it.

Damage from 2024:

And then, this summer, another big windstorm ripped through the city and took about another quarter of the tree down

Damage from 2025:

We plan to have an arborist come in and take a closer look to see what they recommend, but we don't have high hopes that the tree would be savable. And, in the meantime, if we get another tough windstorm, like the last two, there is a very real chance that this tree could end up coming down and onto our house or our neighbor's house. This has been a big stressor for Amaury and I, so first, we are asking for funds to help with this.

We got a quote from someone who does tree removal. To take it down and haul it away would be $900. But that is just to handle that. If we want to take out the stump, clean up the yard, and, ideally, plant a new tree, it would be more likely double, or perhaps triple that estimate; we just don't know for sure yet.

If we are able to get the tree out of the yard and get a new one planted, any additional funds would go to help cover medical costs. I'm insured, so insurance is covering the majority right now, but we are very early in the process; we don't know if everything is going to be covered or what might be more than we can manage. We're keeping a close eye on those costs, but right now, comparatively, they're lower. Either way, all funds will be used to help us reduce the stress in our lives as much as we can.

Nothing is expected, but any contributions or support are appreciated. And of course, we'll share more as we progress and let you know as we get more information. You can always follow us on CaringBridge to stay informed about how my situation is going. And, if you're able to donate or spread the word, thank you.