Help Jocelyn live with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer

The 17th Annual Rizdales’ Roots Round Up in memory of George O’Connor Sr. is taking place on November 16, 2024. It is our most important show of the year and the one we wish didn’t have to happen at all. For folks who are unable to attend and wish to donate, this is your opportunity!

After my Dad passed away in August 2007, we vowed to raise money in his memory every year and make sure it got directly into the hands of a deserving family. There are lots of wonderful fundraisers that go to cancer research and while those are great in the long term (of course we need research and new treatments), we want to help people directly, giving immediate aid to people in our community who have been affected by this awful disease.

This year, our fundraiser is benefitting our friend, Jocelyn Jessome Aarts, a 47 year old mother of three beautiful kids, 11 year old twins Ella and Jax and 15 year old Livy. Jocelyn was first diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer in 2020. She underwent 6 months of chemo, 3 surgeries, 5 weeks of radiation and a few years of targeted therapy. Things were looking good and Jocelyn began to live her life again. Her beautiful hair grew back, her body was getting stronger and she was beginning to feel whole again. But things unfortunately took a heartbreaking turn when in January 2024, Jocelyn saw her oncologist and mentioned some lingering hip pain during a routine checkup. After having imaging done, it was revealed that Jocelyn had a very large tumour in her hip and upper femur. Further investigation showed cancer lesions in both hips, the back of her pelvis, sacrum and spine. It was a devastating revelation and Jocelyn was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer.

What does living with Stage 4 cancer look like? For Jocelyn it means more chemo, more targeted therapy, which she’ll have to continue until it either stops working, until her heart fails or until she passes away. This is the vicious reality of cancer. Endless trips to the hospital, complete exhaustion, relentless side effects that make simple daily chores feel impossible.

Jocelyn has taken steps during her treatment to avoid losing her hair, so she can at least have the appearance of a healthy person, which is just a small way to make this a little easier on her children. But just because she looks like her beautiful self on the outside, doesn’t mean she isn’t fighting for her life because of this relentless disease.

Her battle with cancer has had Jocelyn off work for extended stretches of time. Financially it has been draining and she is attempting to return to work for as long as she can manage, in order to support her family. But there will come a time in the near future when she will again have to take leave and her limited coverage from her workplace won't even cover her mortgage - consider that for a moment. You are in the fight for your life, when your focus should be on your health and spending as much time with your children, but you have this incredible financial burden weighing you down. It is another awful reality of living with cancer.

What we are asking of you is to consider donating to our fundraiser. 100% of your contribution will be going directly to Jocelyn. Living with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer is a daily struggle and while Jocelyn and her family are making the most of every day, creating new memories and spending time together, the financial worry is always there. Her focus should be on prolonging her health for as long as possible and being with her beautiful children. You can help us make that happen for her.

Thank you so much for supporting The Rizdales’ 17th Annual Roots Round Up. You can donate in person at the show (November 16th at the Richmond Tavern from 3-6pm) or online through our GoFundMe.

We appreciate you more than words can tell. Please share this post!

Tara Dunphy

Organizer

www.rizdales.com