**Cancer Journey Update – Monday, 1/27/2025**

Friends and Family,

I want to thank everyone who previously donated and provided me with words of encouragement during my Stage 2 Breast Cancer battle. I had my double mastectomy surgery on October 22, 2024; my surgeon removed three lymph nodes to test for cancer during that surgery. Unfortunately, 1 of the 3 lymph nodes had cancer.

This discovery means that my journey to beating cancer is now much longer, as I must undergo 4 rounds of chemotherapy (January-March) and then six weeks of radiation soon after. The doctors at the MD Anderson Mays Cancer Center in San Antonio have been great throughout this process, and this is where I will continue my care.

On January 7, 2025, I had my first chemotherapy treatment, and within a week, I started to lose my hair and felt very weak. I am slowly rebuilding my strength just in time for the next treatment on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.

I will need to travel back and forth from Portland to San Antonio for my chemotherapy treatments once every three weeks through March. Then, I start the 5 weeks of radiation.

The treatment consists of 20 minutes of radiation therapy, 5 days a week (Monday-Friday). Traveling back and forth for radiation daily is unrealistic, so I will stay in an Airbnb or Hotel in San Antonio during those six weeks.

As you can imagine, the costs are slowly adding up, and my family and I would greatly appreciate any help or support to get me through this unexpected part of my journey!

With gratitude,

Val