Dear Friends and Family,
As you may or may not know, Christy was diagnosed with breast cancer at the beginning of the year. She has Invasive Ductal Carcinoma . Hers is considered to be grade 2 which means that the breast cells look and function differently from normal cells and divide at a higher than normal rate. Shortly after diagnosis and initial treatments began, it was also determined that she has the BRCA2 gene variant, which is known to affect breast cancer risk as well as increased risks of other cancers.
Just prior to diagnosis Christy registered for evening college classes to further her education with a plan for her and Pax's future. That will now be on hold until she is back in good health. In the meantime, she continues to work her current job, though there will be periods of time that she will not be able to work, and will suffer a loss of income.
The journey is long. Christy is still at the beginning of what will be a long journey in battling this heartbreaking disease. There will be multiple stages of treatments and surgeries, and she is currently in her second phase of Chemo. Following Chemo, and over the period of 15-18 months, she will have had:
Two phases of chemo (at least 20 treatments)
Double mastectomy
Radiation (daily for 5 weeks)
Complete hysterectomy (removal of uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes)
Breast reconstruction surgery
Christy does have health insurance, however, not all expenses are even close to being covered. In addition, the time away from work for diagnosis, treatment, and recovery has already depleted Christy’s sick leave. She has two large surgeries ahead of her that will involve long recovery periods. The first, the double mastectomy, has an estimated 6 week recovery time. Then, she will have daily radiation for 5 weeks. She does not have the sick leave available to cover this which means she will be without income.
Your financial support for Christy will help pay the mounting medical bills she cannot pay as well as support her when she loses income because she cannot work. My hope is that some financial support can give her space to exhale, and leave her with less worry or fear of how she will get through that part of this journey.
Whether you have known Christy for a moment, or a lifetime, you know that she is the best friend anyone could have. You know that her curiosity and genuine interest in every person (and heck, everyTHING) is real. You know that she cares deeply, loves deeply, lives deeply. You know that she laughs BIG and celebrates LOUD AND COLORFUL. You know that she always SHOWS UP. Through these past months, she has not been any less of a friend, daughter, sister, aunt, and in her most important role of all, mother to her dearest Paxton.
Just as Christy continues to show up for all that she is and all of the roles she holds, my hope is that each of us can show up for her now. My hope is that all of those whose lives she’s touched (even if just for a moment with her sparkly blue eyes and infectious laugh) can help carry the burden of all of the bills pouring in, and she can continue to focus on her health and well being, and her most important role in being the best mom for Paxton.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for your prayers, your love, and all of the ways in which each of you may consider helping Christy in this journey.
Audrey