Single Mom fighting for her LIFE!!!

Despite a broken home which led to a troubled youth of teen pregnancy, dropping out of school, and trouble with the law, my sister Astrid corrected the trajectory of her life. She is a loyal and ambitious employee, devoted mother, loving sister, and awesome friend! But now she faces the biggest challenge yet: CANCER.

She won’t ask but she needs help with current and upcoming medical expenses. 30 days of radiation is $125 A DAY and she has to do chemo AT THE SAME TIME! It hasn't been easy, especially facing this as a single mother of a rowdy 3-yr-old boy but she feels like God wants her to use her testimony and THAT has birthed a positive perspective in the midst of this ordeal. She is chronicling this story and the emotional hardships of facing this diagnosis hoping to let someone else know they are not alone. Help me show her that so many of us love and care about her by contributing ANY AMOUNT to put towards her care.

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My sister Astrid embodies resilience. We were raised in a broken home, and she struggled to find her sense of self-worth. Like many troubled teens, she sought approval from her peers. This misguided effort landed her in prison for 21 years! It was in these circumstances that she learned to embrace obstacles. Through prison, she obtained several college and vocational degrees, unparalleled skill sets and her love for dogs as a dog trainer. She also found God and maintains that He continues to build her testimony.

Resilience turns trials to triumphs.

In the last 5 years, she has seen God’s work in every step that she has taken. He led her to a wonderful employer that has been pivotal in helping her rebuild her life from the ground up. Having started at the bottom, she received several promotions and is now the general manager of a pet-boarding facility. She has proudly invested so much love and effort into her staff and pet guests, and is grateful for her supportive employer.

Her greatest blessing from God has been her precious 3-year-old SON. This is her second son, as her first son grew up while she was in prison, so she feels this was God handing her a second chance to be a good mother… and boy is she!!! She pours all of her waking hours and energy into being a wonderful momma to her little boy! As a single mother… she rocks it!!! Along with a little help from her friend, Bonnie, and me and my family… all of us love her and baby Aedin dearly. My sister is a walking testimony that people can excel when given a second chance. She credits the Lord with her redemption.

The last 5 years haven't been easy. First, we lost our mom, and then her father passed away, and then she had to leave an emotionally abusive marriage. And just last month, we received her terrible diagnosis of Stage II CANCER. This past year, she felt a lump growing in her neck but couldn't afford to have it diagnosed without insurance. She makes too much for Medicaid assistance but not enough to pay for it herself. She scraped up $450 for a CT scan which revealed a golfball-sized tumor. Her wonderful employer pledged to assist with insurance premiums for 6 months. The sixth month will be in March. The biopsy revealed the tumor to be a secondary cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, in her lymph node. Doctors have been performing tests to find the primary cancer, but have not been able to find it. Her treatment will be aggressive with radiation and chemo simultaneously. Her oncologist doesn't want to risk the primary cancer resurfacing. Her kids need her as they have lots more living to do that she needs to be a part of!

She needs OUR HELP! She is uncomfortable asking for help because she believes that any obstacle can be overcome with God's help. But sometimes God places people in our path for a reason. We don’t want to ask for more than she needs. She needs help with her current and upcoming medical expenses. Although she has insurance, she is facing co-pays and her 20% portion for all services, and a $9100 deductible per year! Her doctors have said that she will begin radiation (daily) and chemotherapy (weekly) for at least six weeks. Her last biopsy alone incurred a fee of $1024, which she had to pay in advance and out-of-pocket. We are hoping to raise at least $15,000 so that she can cover her initial out-of-pocket medical expenses and her $ 375-a-month premium. If you want to hear her talk about her diagnosis, she is chronicling this journey on TikTok under astriddiamond. Please help me show her that even though not everyone can leave their lives to help drive her to treatment, coax her to eat, and let her dogs out, she IS on everyone's minds and hearts. Let's help relieve the financial burden so she can focus on getting better. Let's show her some LOVE!