If you know Shawna, you know that they are a joyful person who is devoted to caring for children and animals, and who helps everyone around them understand the importance and meaning of true community, friendship, and love.

On December 12, 2025, Shawna was diagnosed with fast-spreading stage 2b HER2-positive invasive ductal breast cancer, which has spread to lymph nodes in their left armpit. This cancer is serious, but it is also treatable. What treatment requires, though, is time, stability, and the ability to focus on healing. Because the type of cancer Shawna has can spread so quickly, they need to start treatment asap. Shawna will begin chemotherapy on January 15, 2026. This request for support is time-sensitive. Our hope is to give Shawna the freedom to focus fully on healing rather than feeling a need to choose between their health and financial fears.

Shawna’s treatment plan is aggressive and multi-pronged; their doctors have laid out a year and a half long treatment plan. Treatment includes 4.5 months of intensive chemotherapy combined with HER2-targeted therapy, a double mastectomy with breast reconstruction, radiation therapy, and continued HER2 treatment for 1 year. This will be followed by long-term hormone therapy and recovery care.

Asking for this support and sharing personal medical information is difficult and vulnerable, but going into treatment we want Shawna to feel as secure and fortified as possible. We have a long road ahead of us, but it’s one that Shawna can overcome with care and support.

We are raising $75,000 to help cover the out-of-pocket costs of cancer treatment and recovery such as copays, deductibles, and expenses related to Shawna’s upcoming surgeries; nutrition and food support; holistic care not covered by insurance; mental health and emotional support provided by practitioners who focus on patients with cancer; and cost of living expenses related to Shawna’s ongoing care.

From Shawna: I never thought I would be in this situation, but the fact is nearly 1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. My grandmother died of breast cancer at 56. Years later, I helped care for a close cousin during the final weeks of her life before she passed from cancer at just 42. Both of them worked until their bodies gave out, and their deaths had a huge impact on me.

Black women face significantly worse breast cancer outcomes in the U.S., including a 40% higher death rate and lower survival at every stage, especially for younger Black women. These disparities reflect deep systemic inequities in healthcare and are always present as I navigate this diagnosis.

My cancer is curable, and I am expected to make a full recovery. I am deeply grateful for the love and community surrounding me. This collective care gives me the space to focus on healing—physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

Shawna will soon take a Family Medical Leave of Absence, which means unpaid time away from their job as an elementary school special education teacher. Shawna's long-term partner Jasper has also reduced his work hours to attend appointments, manage logistics, and be present as a caregiver.

Our income has dropped at the same time that Shawna’s medical expenses have sharply increased. Insurance does not cover all the costs of treatment. Even with health insurance, we have spent over $5,000 in less than a month on copays, medical care, and other necessary costs related to preparing for treatment. We plan on hitting this from all angles, so in addition to traditional treatment we will be pursuing holistic treatment; this is integral to ensure positive outcomes and bolster Shawna’s quality of life during treatment.

Thank you for showing love to Shawna and Jasper. If you wish you can send funds directly to Shawna through venmo @shawna-shawnte or cashapp $shawnashawnte143

Your support will directly help Shawna recover with as much fortitude as possible, and will help ensure that Shawna and Jasper’s home remains a stable place of rest.

Our goal is to give Shawna the ability to focus on healing, and to give Jasper the space to continue showing up as Shawna’s primary caregiver and medical advocate.

Thanks in advance for sharing with a personal message, if you are able. Those messages, kind words and memories will be incredibly uplifting as I am going through treatment. - Shawna

With deep gratitude,

Shawna, Jasper, and Jaime