Not many of our friends or family are aware that back in September, my sister Patty Barbarow was diagnosed with breast cancer. In October, after several scans and tests, she had surgery - partial mastectomy and several lymph nodes removed. The treatment plan is aggressive with 16 weeks of chemotherapy and 6-8 weeks of radiation to follow. The good news is that she is responding well to the treatment and is in good spirits.

Unfortunately, in the state of Massachusetts, most teachers are not eligible for PFLMA, and after using her small amount of PTO, Patty is not able to work and does not have short or long-term disability. There will be no paychecks until she is able to go back to work (hopefully in March if she can work through the radiation). Our family is doing what we can to support our sister, Mom, Gigi, but any assistance you could offer during this difficult time would be much appreciated.