A letter from Kass:

June 2025 was the start of a journey we were never expecting to be on. At 28 years old, I was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma in Situ and Stage 2A Invasive Breast Cancer.

The last 5 weeks have been a whirlwind. The timeline Nate and I had been planning for our future went right out the window. While I am SO LUCKY because I caught it early, it will still have a huge impact on my body.

After meeting with my doctors at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, my treatment will consist of a Bilateral Mastectomy, followed by Chemotherapy. Once that is completed, I will be on hormone-suppressing medication for 5-10 years after that. At this point, we don’t believe I will need Radiation, though if any lymph nodes are found to have disease during surgery, this may change.

Between the chemo and the hormone suppressants, having children will take much more planning, time, and money. With the help of the Fred Hutch Fertility Counselors, we decided to freeze embryos in hopes that when all of this is over, we can create the family we want so much. Amazingly, they estimate that after 2-3 years on the medication, I can stop for a short amount of time to try and build a family. Then I will get back on for the remainder of the treatment.

The entire fertility preservation process is estimated at about $17,000. While some medications will be covered by insurance, none of the actual procedures will be (Don’t get me started on that rant. Lol). We are beyond blessed to have this as an option and have family that has offered to help us with this. However, if asking for support can take any of the burden off of them, then Nate and I figured it was worth a shot.

Anything donated will go directly to our fertility preservation process. If there ends up being more than we need, we want to donate it to breast cancer research. Young Survival Coalition is a non-profit organization that provides resources and support for young adults (under 40) diagnosed with breast cancer, like me. I think this would be a beautiful way to pass the love forward if we can.

The support and love we have received over the last few weeks has been overwhelming, and I cannot thank you all enough. When the fear sets in, I can tap into the love surrounding me and bring the light back out. Thank you all in advance for sharing, donating, praying, and loving us through this.

With all my heart,

Kassi