Help Stara’s Treatment and Brain Tumor Recovery

We are here to rally support for Stara Laborde who is facing a long road of treatment and healing from a large brain tumor. Anyone who knows Stara as a friend, daughter, sister, auntie, partner, chosen family member, Cart Crew mate, wildly skilled esthetician, community member and neighbor knows how wonderful and cherished she is. As said by her friend and business partner, Cate, “she is one of the most genuine, honest, caring, compassionate, true blue Pacific Northwesterners on the planet and she has all the good karma in the bank one could possibly accrue.”

To know Stara is to know her generous heart and kind spirit. This is our time to give back to Stara the generosity and grace she has shown each of us.

Stara went through brain surgery this October to address a large tumor wrapped around her brain stem that is pushing on her pituitary gland. Her case is unique and challenging. Specialists have taken her MRI results to a conference and determined after extensive consultation and testing that she will need at least one surgery to begin to remove this tumor. She did well in the surgery but there are still many unknowns. After a week in the hospital, she is now home but struggling with sight out of her left eye, balance and walking, and aphasia.

After 8-16 weeks of rest and recovery time at home, she will then begin regular radiation to shrink the remaining tumor. She will have no income at all for several months from Illume Day Spa because she will be prohibited from working after a major brain surgery. She will also need around-the-clock support for several months and may have to reduce her hours for months after her return to work.

Stara is self-employed and is insured through insurance available under the Affordable Care Act. This means that her out-of-pocket expenses will be over $18,000, and her loss of income and overhead costs to keep a business open that she can return to once recovered will easily exceed $60,000. This assumes that all goes as planned in her surgery and recovery – her financial exposure could be much higher if additional medical intervention is necessary.

We are setting a goal of raising $75,000 to help Stara avoid financial hardship and to reduce her stress so that she can focus on healing. Your generous contribution will help her now and for months into the future.

No donation is too small. Please give if you can, and share this campaign with others you think might be moved by Stara's journey.

Stara is not someone who seeks attention to her struggles and instead looks to help others. Any support you can offer to now help her is so meaningful.

Let’s show her the strength of her community. Thank you for your kind words, support, and love.

With gratitude,

TEAM STARA

Little Stara shining bright

Our heroine emerges from the hospital!

***Please keep in mind that GoFundMe is a fee-for-service site (2.9% on each contribution - "tips" go to the GoFundMe platform, not Stara). If you would like to contribute to Stara in a more direct fashion, or you would like to support her in other ways, please contact the organizer, Erin.***