<div><strong>Sipping for Stage 4: Margaritas for MBC</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong><em>Join Us on March 8, 2025, at La Cantina Bar &amp; Grill and Bar Poca Madre</em></strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We’re hosting <strong>Margaritas for MBC</strong> to raise awareness and funds for Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC). Proceeds from a special Margarita will support critical research for this underfunded and often overlooked stage of breast cancer.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Why Stage 4 Matters:</strong>
</div>
<div>Stage 4 breast cancer causes the majority of breast cancer-related deaths, yet funding for research remains disproportionately low. We’re here to change that. Every sip helps shine a light on the urgent need for Stage 4 research and offers hope for those living with MBC.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>My Story:</strong>
</div>
<div>In July 2024, life was filled with joy and anticipation. Bridal showers had just wrapped up, and I was focused on getting fit for my October wedding. I was lifting weights regularly, so when I felt an odd sensation in my left armpit, I brushed it off. It seemed like nothing — a strain or soreness that would pass.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>But it didn't. Over the next week or two, that nagging feeling stayed with me. I kept checking, feeling the tissue, looking for a sign. Nothing. Then, one day in the shower, I instinctively lifted my left arm and rested it on my head. That's when I found it — a lump, subtle, almost hiding — but unmistakably there.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I noticed some dimpling but shrugged it off, assuming it was just part of losing weight. Still, a call to the doctor seemed right. The reassurances came: "It's common. Schedule a mammogram. No rush." Because at 35, breast cancer doesn't feel like an immediate threat.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The mammogram told a different story. Not one lump. Multiple. I was rushed into an ultrasound, the cold gel on my skin, the room dim and sterile. The radiologist murmured about inverted nipples and swollen lymph nodes. And then came the words: "This has all the characteristics of breast cancer." In that cold, dark room, shirtless and vulnerable, tears spilled down my face.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Biopsies followed — painful, rushed, and numbness that didn't fully take. Just days before my wedding, my life shattered.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The healthy 35-year-old I thought I was — confirmed by a clean bill of health in June — was now a Stage 4 cancer patient.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Everything changed. My dreams of having children vanished. My hair fell out; I shaved my head the day before walking down the aisle. Wedding plans turned into chemo appointments. Future plans with my husband became a question mark. Blow after blow, heartbreak after heartbreak.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>But when death stares you down, you choose to surrender or fight. And I'm a fighter. This will not define me. I have a voice, a story, and a purpose.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) — Stage 4 — is underfunded and overlooked. It can be labeled as terminal or chronic, but I refuse to accept hopelessness. With modern medicine and research, there is hope. We need funding, research, and awareness more than ever.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>That's why Margaritas for MBC was born. This isn't just a fundraiser — it's my fight, my mission. Every sip, every moment, every dollar raised brings us closer to a future where Stage 4 doesn't mean the end.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This is my story. And I'm honored to raise money for MBC research and to fight for the lives of others like me.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Let's sip, save lives, and keep hope alive.</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><em>We’ve created this donation link for those who want to contribute but can’t attend the event. Every dollar helps us fund the research that gives hope to those living with Stage 4 MBC.</em>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>La Cantina Grill<em>: </em><a href="https://www.lacantinagrill.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.lacantinagrill.com" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.lacantinagrill.com</a></a>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Bar Poca Madre: <a href="https://barpocamadre.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://barpocamadre.com" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://barpocamadre.com</a></a>
</div>

Scott McPherson

Patrick Wells

Michele Reynolds

Julie Nelson

Elizabeth Ambriz

Lauren and Scott Pilarczyk

Blake Davenport

Maritza Pelaez

Claudia Campos

Anonymous

Gabby Falconer

Shannon Luschen

Maureen Luschen

Margaret O'Sullivan

Emily Thornton

Izzy Falconer

Sandy Brassel

Sondra Falconer

Cherie Chan

Natalie Encapera

Margaritas for MBC: Fund Stage 4 Research

Margaritas for MBC: Fund Stage 4 Research

Still $5,315 to go. Help us build momentum.