Help Candice in Her Fight Against Cancer

Last year I was fortunate enough to be hired at Sunset Park Elementary School and become teammates with one of the most incredible people I know, Candice Taravella.

 

Coming into Sunset Park, I didn't know much about Candice. In December of 2020, Candice was diagnosed with cancer. She underwent surgery to remove a large tumor in her sinonasal cavity and her right orbit, which led to her losing her smell, portion of her sense of taste, most of her hearing, and her right eye.

 

Following surgery, Candice endured months of treatment which included radiation and chemotherapy. In May of 2021, she was thrilled to hear that her scans showed no signs of cancer.

Through this past year, Candice was met with a few more challenges. Candice's health insurance will cover a prosthetic eye that serves no actual purpose, only cosmetic, yet she had to pay for hearing aids out of her own pocket. She has also had to make multiple trips to Denver for her scans, continued surgeries, and doctor appointments.

Unfortunately, one of her last scans showed multiple nodules in her lungs. Just last week, after removing one of the nodules for biopsy, she received unfortunate news. Candice learned that the biopsy revealed metastatic cancer in her lungs.

 

Candice is a rock on our second-grade team. Candice is a teacher, I am a teacher, but to put it bluntly, teachers make pennies. Candice is now facing a year of additional chemotherapy, additional travel to Denver, overnight stays, and missed work days for our upcoming school year.

 

Nobody asks for cancer. Nobody deserves this horrible disease. Any amount of donation will genuinely help Candice and her family! I love this woman, like many others, and don't want her to stress about finances... that should be the last thing she should have to worry about right now.