Help Sam Kick Cancer's Ass!

Hi, my name is Kelsey and I'm setting this up for my friend Sam. Sam was my roommate in college and continues to be one of my best friends even though we live over 1000 miles apart.

A couple months ago, Sam started to have some strange symptoms that wouldn't go away and she found a small lump on one of her breasts. After many steps and tests, Sam got the news that no one ever wants to hear. At only 33 years old, Sam is diagnosed with stage one breast cancer. It was a complete shock; cancer doesn't run in her family and she isn't in the typical age group for the ER+ type of breast cancer she has. Because of the cancer’s placement near major lymph nodes, doctors recommended immediate action in hopes of keeping the cancer as well contained as possible before they try to remove and eliminate any trace of it.

Later this month, Sam will undergo a surgery to remove the tumor and some other possibly affected tissue. They also will be checking/testing if any cancer has made it to her lymph nodes that imaging hasn’t been able to pick up. If so, samples will be taken to the lab. Depending on the results, her cancer stage and clinical risk may change.

She has a long road ahead of her, that even she had not known was common considerations in breast cancer treatment. There are other anticipated surgeries coming up in the next several months, likely in the next calendar year. After this first surgery, she will start hormone therapy to help block the production of hormones in her body. These hormones unfortunately are driving the cancer to grow.

She will need radiation, and may need chemotherapy. There is constant discussion on the what continual care will look like in the next six months, let alone in the next several years.

It impacts other major life choices for her that she hadn’t anticipated. It can impact her choice if she wants to try to have children in the future, the risks of cancer reoccurrence, and changes to her body and future follow up care. Sam's never had any kind surgery before, and her first one is going to be tough both physically and mentally.

Sam will have to meet her out-of-pocket maximum of $5000 every calendar year before her insurance will cover 100% of her medical treatment (for the services they agree and approve to cover) each year.

Sam has to finish paying the remainder of her out-of-pocket maximum for this year, which is estimated to be about $2000 before her insurance kicks in to cover her $20,000 surgery for this year.

She'll also need time off work for treatment, and will need to pay out of pocket for things not covered by her insurance related to her medical care and recovery. Sam lives on her own in Oklahoma City. She is planning to remain working full-time status to keep her job that she enjoys, try to manage her regular bills, and most importantly, to keep herself insured. She needs to be able to afford rent, pay student loans as she is close to meeting her 10yr of non-profit work for loan forgiveness, food and her car. If she gets her double mastectomy and reconstruction in the next several months as planned, her recovery period will be long and it will limit her in her normal routine.

Sam shouldn't have to worry about money while she's trying to kick cancer's ass. Your donation will help her pay for treatment as well as all of the things she needs to stay stable and maintain her life in Oklahoma City. Sam and I are forever grateful for your help.