Donate to Aid Recovery from Cancer and Surgery

In 2020, I felt a small bruise and bump in my right breast. The pain was most noticeable at night so I went to my PCP to get it examined. They initially told me it was not something to be worried about, however I knew something was not right. After seeing how stressed and worried about it, they chose to do an ultrasound.

I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer and found I had the BRCA gene. I was given a port and went through about 8 weeks of intense chemotherapy. Afterwards I had a double mastectomy which was almost denied since the surgery was supposed to happen during the COVID shutdown. I was able to get a reconstruction surgery which I recovered from well.

Two years later, I was in my second year of teaching and was getting so exhausted. I thought taking a substitution position would be better but at the end of September 2024, I got sick with a violent cough which lasted until the end of October. I was concerned about how long the cough lasted and went into Valley Immediate Care. I explained my symptoms but was told it was asthma and allergies. No X-ray was conducted.

After 3 days on anti-histamines and albuterol, there was no change in my symptoms. I went back to demand a chest x-ray which showed a mass in my chest. I messaged my oncologist who got me in for more imaging and testing quickly in early November 2024.

By this time, they noticed several tumors in my mediastinum. One of them was infiltrating my lungs. We conducted radiation treatments on the tumors for 3 weeks during Christmas break and into January.

The day after ending that treatment, on January 9th, I started getting confused and was unable to comprehend written text. My sister happened to call me at the same moment and could see something was wrong. She came over and took me to the ER where they found multiple brain tumors in my frontal lobe near the Broca’s area. They recommended surgery to remove the larger tumor.

I spent 7 days in the hospital and have just returned home. There are 3 other spots in my brain that will need radiation. I’m doing well after the craniotomy, but my disability payments will not be activated for a while.

I am writing this to ask for help during this time. I appreciate the support from all my family and friends during this tough time. Anything you can do during this time would mean so much.