Maria, Maria!

Hello friends and family! This July, my bonus-mom, Maria, was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, after a routine mammogram and needle biopsy. 

Just a few weeks ago, Maria underwent a lumpectomy to remove the tumor. While her lymph nodes appear to be uninvolved, unfortunately, the margins were not clear around her tumor. Because this kind of cancer is aggressive and doesn't respond to hormonal treatments, she will be undergoing several months of chemotherapy, starting in mid-September. This will be followed by a double mastectomy sometime in early 2019.

Our family is handling the news with our usual gallows humor and my parents continue to have very modest needs. But the fact of the matter is, cancer sucks and it sucks a family dry financially. (Do we win something for a triple-header of cancer!?) Maria is going to be out of work for some time while she beats this. We could use some help.

All donations will be going directly to support Maria while she is undergoing treatment and to offset medical expenses that are not covered by insurance. Every penny that is left over will be donated to Bay Area Cancer Connections to help support other women in our area facing breast cancer. This is a four-star charity.

Love & gratitude! Celeste