Team Traci

On January 17, 2020 Traci Leffer’s oncologist called her with the news nobody wanted to hear: biopsy results showed that her fallopian tube cancer (a rare cancer) has returned for the third time since 2015.

Days later she went blind in her right eye! She was diagnosed with a serious eye problem – a detached retina with a tear in her macula. It requires surgery on February 3rd to have a 90% chance of restoring her vision in that eye.

The timing of these medical issues has created even more stress and anxiety for Traci. Chocoley, the company she owns with her husband and daughter (her only child) was already in the process of closing after 15 years in business when both the cancer and detached retina news came.

Traci had personally loaned Chocoley over $100,000 from her very limited personal retirement savings. She always offered to do so to keep the doors open so that the Chocoley could continue serving its passionate customers. Chocoley can’t repay any of the loans, so she’s worried about not having retirement money or enough money to support her end of lifetime if it comes to that with her cancer. She had also personally guaranteed a significant third-party loan to the business, as well as used credit cards with her name on them for business expenses—all debt which she is suddenly carrying the burden of repaying.

With mounting medical debt now also looming on top of already very high annual medical bills (even with insurance), this fundraiser is being set up to help take the intense financial burden off of Traci. The goal is that instead of spending her limited energy stressing about how she is going to personally pay off a mountain of company debt in the wake of losing her family company, she can instead focus on what is most important: taking care of her health and her personal healing.

The money raised here will go to paying Traci’s upcoming medical treatment and bills, paying off the business debt that is in her name so that it does not become her personal financial burden, and to help her with living expenses, taxes, and any extra care needed, etc. during this time of taking care of her health during a huge personal financial transition.  If any money is raised beyond meeting those other needs, it will go towards helping her begin to restore her retirement savings.

Traci is deeply grateful for any support you can provide to her during this extremely stressful time. She also welcomes prayers and positive energy from those of all faith traditions to help lift her in healing and to bring her peace during this time.

A little more about Traci:

Traci is a devoted mother and wife who has had a deep love for animals for her entire life – especially horses (many people who know her well will immediately tell you she is a horse whisperer)! She is also a gifted writer who wrote 4 popular horse-related novels under the name “Cali Canberra.” In recent years she has taken up art, and awed everyone who has seen her beautiful drawings. She is fun, funny, and a bright light that brings delight and laughter to everyone who meets her.