Help Toni Beat the PALB2 Cancer Risk

As some of you know, my sister, Katherine Arnold, left this earth to be with the Lord after a long battle with cancer in May of last year. During that battle, she learned that she was a carrier of the PALB2 gene, which is associated with autosomal dominant hereditary breast and pancreatic cancer. My sister encouraged her biological relatives to get tested, as those with this gene mutation or variant have a 33-58% higher lifetime risk of breast cancer, a 3-5% increased lifetime risk of ovarian cancer, and finally a 2-3% increased lifetime chance of pancreatic cancer. My daughter and I tested positive. My husband and I immediately made appointments at Moffitt Cancer Center to see what my options were. I then went to my sister and told her what we learned, and she urged me to move forward quickly as she didn't want me to suffer like she had. I was very blessed! All my tests came back benign, and my two surgeries to have my ovaries removed, as well as a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, were a breeze, and my financial costs were covered 100% by Medicare. God is so good!

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Now it is my daughter's turn to begin the process that took me months to recover from. On May 13th, Toni will undergo her first surgery for removal of her ovaries and fallopian tubes. After that, on June 11th, she will have her double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. With both surgeries scheduled back to back, this will make her unable to work for several months.

The oncologist has labeled the PALB2 gene a ticking "time bomb," making it urgent to have these surgeries done as soon as possible. Insurance will not cover the full expense, and being out of work for recovery will cause a huge hardship for my daughter. Toni has dedicated her life to the Bartow Police Department for the last 26 years as a public servant to this community and the City of Bartow. It is my hope that anyone who feels led to give would help her in this journey to ease this extreme financial hardship she is facing.