Our family is stepping into something no one ever expects or plans to go through, and it’s been incredibly hard to find the right words... but we know we can’t do this alone.

My mom has officially begun her cancer journey. If you know her, you know she’s stubborn in the way that keeps her going, deeply emotional, and someone who cares so much about the people in her life (sometimes more than she knows how to show). When things get hard, her instinct is to pull back and carry it on her own. She doesn’t like to feel like a burden, and she often believes others deserve more than she does. But the truth is, she deserves support just as much as anyone else.

She recently came out of her initial exploratory surgery, where doctors performed a radical hysterectomy. We are so grateful she made it through, but there were complications. During surgery, the cancer was no longer fully contained, which has brought the very real and heavy concern that it may have spread beyond the cervix.

Because of this, everything has changed for us.

Our original plan was to bring her up north to recover with family. Instead, she now needs to remain in Southern California near City of Hope while we wait for pathology results and begin the next phase: radiation and/or chemotherapy.

The waiting, the unknowns, and the shift in plans have all been overwhelming.

This extended stay was not something we were prepared for. We have stretched every resource we had, and at this point, we’ve reached the end of what we can manage on our own.

We are asking for help to cover the cost of lodging so she can stay close to the care she urgently needs. We have looked into every option available to us, including the American Cancer Society, but unfortunately, there are no resources available for our situation right now.

This is incredibly hard to ask, especially knowing mom would never ask for this herself. But right now, showing up for her means surrounding her with support, even when her instinct is to face things alone.

If you’re able to donate, share, or simply keep her in your thoughts, it truly means more than we can put into words. Every bit of support helps carry us through this.

Thank you for standing with our family and helping us show her that she doesn’t have to go through this by herself.