Hi, I’m Jacquelyn, Brooke’s best friend. Much to her reluctance, I have taken the initiative to create this GoFundMe to provide Brooke relief from the financial stressors on the horizon.

I met Brooke back in 2017 shortly after moving to Portland, ME. Within hours, we had just clicked. You know when you cross paths with someone and gravitate towards their energy? Brooke has an energy that pulls at your soul.

Although Brooke is known to be a one in a million best friend, needless to say, she is a one in a billion mother. Brooke is a loving and devoted mother to two beautiful little girls who make up her entire world - they are her reasons. Being a mother is by far Brooke’s greatest accomplishment. Her approach to motherhood has always been admirable as she does it with ease, compassion, patience, and boundless love.

Back in late February of 2024, Brooke noticed a lump within her left breast while nursing her youngest. She immediately scheduled the necessary appointments to address the concern. Her mammogram advised more in depth testing to be completed. In early March, a biopsy confirmed a ductal carcinoma was present. The tumor was removed but additional updates deepened devastation. Genetic testing confirmed Brooke to carry the BRCA-1 gene. This specific gene type concluded Brooke’s cancer is triple negative, which intensified her treatment plan. Most recently in May, a 2nd biopsy of Brooke’s lymph nodes confirmed the cancer has spread.

In a matter of weeks, Brooke went from Stage 0 to Stage 3 metastatic breast cancer. In the approaching weeks, her treatment will initiate with numerous debilitating rounds of chemotherapy over the next five months. Due to the invasive progression of the cancer, treatment is deemed with a restrictive and utterly forceful approach. Restrictive yet hopeful measures will include Brooke undergoing her 3rd surgical procedure thus far - a bilateral mastectomy. Radiation therapy of her lymph nodes will then follow. As selfish as cancer is, somehow Brooke continues to radiate that soul captivating energy.

My goal is to ensure Brooke will have time to physically recover, begin to heal, and continue to be the amazing mother she has defined herself to be. With the intensity of Brooke’s treatment and preventative surgical procedures, it is predicted her body (and mind) will limit her capacity to work – if at all. The financial stressors on the ever so quickly approaching horizon should not be apart of her “what’s next”.

The world of social media sometimes does amazing things. With that, my hope is social media can pull off an amazing thing for Brooke and her girls!