Hello everyone,

My name is Jamar, and I was blessed with having one the of most loving, caring, and strongest mothers ever. Whether you know her as Charmaine, Carol, Aunty, Mama Brown, or anything in between, knowing her means knowing someone who shares kindness and warmth regardless of whether you’re family, friend, or stranger. From helping take care of her sisters in Jamaica while my grandma worked, to being the single working mom of a cheeky only child, all her life she's had to fight! Yet she does so with grace and an unwavering spirit.

In March 2021, my mom was given an unfortunate diagnosis of Stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer. Even though it's one of the most aggressive breast cancers there is she was determined from the jump to stand her ground and not let this cruel illness hold her back in anyway. She’s endured chemotherapy, radiation, oral medications, injections, surgery, you name it, to do what it takes to overcome this ordeal while never losing hope. She remained a beacon of selflessness and strength, not just for me, but for whoever needed her. It's amazing and inspiring to me that in dealing with what she has she still had more to give to others.

In summer 2023, even after a successful mastectomy years earlier, we found out that the cancer had spread to the skin and lymph nodes in the area. She stayed active, she stayed hopeful, she stayed committed to fighting. During this time struggles with insurance, multiple oncologists recommending different treatments, and having not been able to work since the beginning of the pandemic, things keep getting more difficult. My family and I have done what we could to support her to the best of our ability, but the costs and the bills are rising and it's hard to keep up.

At the end of 2023, we learned that it has now spread to the bone, appearing in scans in her upper back and upper cervical spine making it Stage 4. Further, according to the latest oncologist we saw, all her estrogen receptors are negative, making this an even rarer, more difficult form of cancer to battle against. To be honest, my family and I were shaken to our cores but, regardless of how she feels, when you speak with her about it you are the one getting comforted by her about this!

Dealing with this has been increasingly draining of mind, body, and spirit but there is no quit to be found here! Unfortunately, I feel like we are reaching the end of what we can deal with alone. The lesions aren't shrinking even though we are switching from treatment to treatment looking for the one to turn this around. With her having been out of work this entire time, we are at our limits. If it were up to her, I wouldn't be writing this, but I am humbly reaching out because my mom needs help.

This is new to me, and it is hard to write and ask for help in this manner, but I would do whatever it takes for her. Anything you can offer is appreciated, even if it's just a message to send her the love she shares with everyone else.

Thank you for reading.