Beating Breast Cancer Together with Nicole Hill!

This gofundme is being set up to support Nicole Hill, who as you may already know, recently received a breast cancer diagnosis. When family, friends or someone in our community is battling cancer or another hardship on their life, we often want to help but don't know how. Thankfully for Nicole, most of her medical expenses are covered from her healthcare insurance through her husband Larry's job. What is not covered, however, is the loss of income to the family's household for Nicole to take off work for her surgery as well as treatment until she is healthy again. Nicole is currently a travel nurse and has recently been working at UAB. She lives in Gadsden with her husband, Larry; daughter, Bella(9 ); son, Brock (11); and stepdaughter, Brandi(19).

As a travel nurse and, as is the case for many travel nurses, Nicole does not receive paid time off or short-term disability benefits, so any amount donated will assist her family for her care as well as their monthly expenses incurred while Nicole will not be able to work. Nicole will be commuting from Gadsden to UAB at least once every three weeks for chemo and antibody treatments for twelve months.

I know that so many of us never think about paid time off or short-term disability until we need it, but this is not the case with Nicole. For those of you who know her, you know that her faith is at the center of her life. She puts God and her family first with a true servant's heart. If you know her, you also may know the sacrifices she has made to share God's light and love to others throughout her life and career as a nurse. In February 2021, while most of us were trying to adjust to a new normal post the 2020 pandemic stress, Nicole did the opposite. Nicole chose to take her training on the front lines from caring for COVID patients from being a full-time ICU nurse at Gadsden Regional to becoming a travel nurse as she felt God was leading her to do so. This was not an easy decision for Nicole and Larry as they knew it would come with risks. Not only would she be caring for COVID patients in hospitals away from home, but she would also be giving up her almost 10 years of paid time off, short-term disability and other benefits from her full-time career.

However, if you know Nicole you know that there is no one else better for this job than her and no one else you would want at your bedside in intensive care in the hospital than her. Not only is she an amazingly skilled nurse, but God also gifted her with a spirit of compassion that is beyond description. We know that families with loved ones battling COVID more than ever needed a caring voice, extra kindness, and a lot of prayers. Due to the hospital's visitors' restrictions during the pandemic, many patients lost their lives without a family member by their side and with the family members' only contact being their nurse. As a travel nurse, Nicole was able to be that nurse providing care for COVID patients at Gadsden Regional, Riverview Regional Medical Center, STVHS EAST, Montgomery Baptist East and UAB. She is now currently a travel nurse for UAB's Heart Lung Transplant ICU where she had hoped to transition back into a full-time career role before her recent diagnosis. And where she hopes to continue her nursing career again full-time soon.

Her Doctors' plans for treatment, at this point, are to begin 12 months of chemotherapy as well as IV antibodies. Her initial biopsy shows evidence of estrogen, progesterone and HER2 positive cancer, which is a more aggressive breast cancer. Her doctors are taking the next three weeks to confirm, but are moving forward in November with chemo as well as the antibodies treatment prior to surgery and radiation to take the most proactive approach to her treatment. The goal is not only to be cancer free, but to also reduce the risk of a future cancer reoccurrence somewhere else in her body. Her surgery will take place sometime following the initial chemo and antibody treatments possibly in December or early 2023.

Please also note that if you cannot support financially, Nicole would love your prayers, encouraging words, or anything you feel led to do to help. On behalf of Nicole and her family, know of our gratitude for your help in this season.