Hi, my name is Laura Homan, I am 34 years old, married almost 2 years ago to my high school sweetheart of 17 years, and have the most amazing 3-year-old son.

I'm usually not one for adages, but as life goes on I find one to be capital "T" true - "Man plans and God laughs." In February of 2023, my husband and I were a few months into planning a renovation for our 620 sq/ft home, we were picking out a preschool for our son to attend in September, and figuring out what sacrifices would need to be made to fund these endeavors. In March of 2023, I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. The uncertainty from the unknown path you willingly travel pales in comparison to the dread from the one you're forced to.

I've been through 13 cycles of chemo so far (starting with AC and now on Paclitaxol). 3 infusions are left before additional scans to prepare for surgery. Since the cancer is ERPR positive, treatment will continue after surgery with hormonal, endocrine, and aromatase inhibitors for 5 to 10 years. This aspect of the treatment will be a persistent stressor since becoming pregnant will be difficult. At least one of the new rooms would have sheltered a little brother or sister for our son.

Our resolve has been holding out. Life doesn't pause during times of struggle, and my husband was adamant about not putting any of our plans on hold. Our son is still going to attend preschool at a local family center, our village granted us our building permits, and my symptoms have been minimal enough that I've gone back to work in the office every day except chemo day.

My husband has been GC for the addition to reduce the cost, but post covid prices for materials and labor are through the roof. We spent thousands of dollars for engineers, architects, and permits but things went wrong in the first 4 hours of construction. Now the cost to finish the exterior grew well past what we borrowed for the entire build and winter is coming.

Insurance has been paying for most of my treatment, but plenty of deductibles still have to come from somewhere. And preschool will be an additional monthly cost since UPK is not available.

Putting our pride aside allows us to be honest and accept that we need financial help. If we can cover the unplanned expenses from the past 72 hours, then we would be back on track to pay off the planned expenses.