Kylie Stevenson ~ Warrior of Breast Cancer

Help my sister and her family live, while she is dying.

 

Imagine for a moment you are 21 years old.

The time in life when you are discovering freedom from your parents and beginning your own way in life as an adult.

 

This was the case of my little sister Kylie, like many before her she fell in love and started her family right after graduation from high school.

 

She was lucky enough to marry her high school sweetheart, they have literally grown up in life together.

 

My sister's husband Mike joined the Air Force just out of high school, they moved away to begin their new life together. The future promised to be filled with many wonderful dreams they had already shared for years.
Dreams of having children, world travel adventures, and Kylie’s dream of helping animals as a veterinarian.

 

As any new couple, within the first few years of marriage, they had acquired all the things, used furniture a janky Christmas tree for the holidays, and were living on love.

 

The news came shortly after they married that they would have their first child a little girl they named Natalie.

 

Life seemed to be falling into place for them just as they dreamed it would.

 

A month after Natalie made her dramatic arrival into the world, Mike was deployed for 9 months of service. Not uncommon for a military family. Kylie did what many military wives do when in this situation, she packed her and Natalie up and visited our parents for a portion of his deployment in Colorado leaving her own comfort of home behind.

 

Although this next part of the story has been over 11 years ago, I still remember the feeling like it was yesterday.

The news was that my 21-year-old baby sister with her own newborn baby and a deployed husband had breast cancer.

The emotions our family felt came in waves (still do today) as the battle continues.
First comes shock, then fear, then sadness and at times anger, so many questions and confusion about how, why, is there a cure?

 

Over the next year of my sister's life, she endured extensive scans, surgeries, chemo, and radiation treatments while living alone at her home in Arkansas and being a single mom. Never once did I hear her complain, she is truly one of the most light-hearted and positive people I have ever known.  As the testing and “treatments” continued the doctors discovered that she has a type of Metastatic Breast Cancer, which ultimately has no cure.

 

For the last 10 years, I have seen my sister Kylie maintain a positive attitude and a zest for life.  While continuing to be on medications, receiving scans, and enduring more surgeries than I can count.  She is an attentive wife, serves the military community, and raises her daughter Natalie. Her husband Mike has been deployed more than 4 times during this battle,  leaving her no choice but to fight most times alone while raising their only daughter.

Despite it all, she put herself through school.

She is my superhero.

Unable to have more children, due to a mandatory full hysterectomy at the age of 23 (forcing her into menopause) her daughter Natalie is a true gift to Kylie, Mike, and our entire family. Natalie is as bright as they come and excels in school. Natalie dreams of being a doctor when she is grown.

 

Due to the seriousness of Kylie’s illness and despite Kylie's own desire and determination to survive and not be defined by cancer.
This cancer has caused massive destruction in fulfilling their dreams.

This past year Kylie was forced to resign from the job the loved as a vet tech.  Cancer has spread into her bones, liver, and spine. Causing painful fractures as the tumors literally split her bones in her pelvis and spine. This has limited her ability to lift anything over 10lbs. 

Making matters worse, Kylie applied for “disability” only to be repeatedly denied.  Kylie has been told she needs to be in the workforce two more years to qualify since she is unable to work she will NOT ever be eligible for “disability”.   
Kylie has also never been able to qualify for life insurance,  as she was told she had cancer at such an early age in life. 

 

This disability and life insurance denial have caused extreme financial hardship for Kylie and her family. Despite her husband Mike being in the armed forces and having a good secure job. The deficit of her income being negative -$60,000.00 per year is very impactful for current bills, and the desire to provide Natalie with the future they were hoping for through high school and beyond.

 

Kylie’s husband Mike,  ability to earn more money has also largely been affected by Kylie’s medical status. Preventing them from working abroad. They have applied for years and been denied for safety and medical reasons surrounding her cancer.

 

This past month our family received the news that our worst fears are made of, my sister Kylie’s treatments have stopped working.

Kylie was admitted to the hospital for extreme pain in her lower back, her scans revealed that the “treatment plan” they hoped would work is nonresponsive. Cancer has spread into her lungs, her liver, and more parts of her spine, along with the already growing tumors in her pelvis.

 

Kylie and our family are of course devastated, and scared as we all prepare ourselves for a world without her and what these next months or years will be like.

 

Kylie has now begun the last option to slow the tumor growth yesterday. A “new trial chemotherapy “ treatment.
It is not a cure, it is merely a prolonging of life treatment. If it works in slowing the growth it will take about 3 months from today to see if this trial is working. If there is an improvement, she will need this treatment every 3 weeks for the remainder of her life, however long that may be.

 

My family is fully aware we are not the only family fighting this battle, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. My sister and her husband personally would never ask for financial help, but as the bossy sister of the family, I am. I am asking on their behalf.

 

It is my own heart's cry that each person who reads this is able to donate whatever they are comfortable and able to donate.

These funds are purposed to aid in the financial relief of lost income for my sister and her family, while she walks through the last stages of her life and continues to fight as long as possible. Knowing that her soon-to-be teenage daughter and her husband are already in a stressful situation without the added financial stress added to this process.

These funds will be used responsibly, for the following items.  Helping my sister to LIVE while she is dying.

Kylie has a wish ( if she is in good enough health ) to take her family on a beach vacation. Although she is limited in what she can do, she would like to see her husband and daughter play in the ocean, spend time in love and laughter and be a part of what may be their last family vacation together.

 

The funds would also aid in reducing the financial stress of what is now a single-income household.
Aiding in helping Natalie to achieve her own dreams one day,  a portion of the funds into a nest egg for Natalie's "big days" in her future. 

 

This is a hard truth and the reality is my sister will not be there for the moments that will forever shape her daughter's life.
Most likely with the progression of this cancer, she will not be there for the moments we all look forward to as parents.
A first date, driving, prom, graduation from high school, college preparation, her wedding day, and when she has children of her own.

We are aware that money does not solve the problems of the emotional hurdles to come, for her immediate family unit.
Nor our entire family without having her by our side.
However, Kylie would love nothing more than to aid her husband  Mike whom she will leave behind in order to continue to provide these things to their beautiful daughter Natalie.

Thank you all for your contributions, prayers, and for sharing this story with your own network.

 

~ Her Family and Friends