Hey everyone, this fundraiser is for our little sister, Emily. Josh and I are the older siblings.
If you don’t know Emily’s origin story… she was a huge surprise. Josh and I were teenagers, Mom was 43 (after having tubal ligation 10 years earlier!), and Dad was 50. Emily arrived five weeks early, tiny but healthy, and she’s been our little miracle baby ever since.
Fast-forward to a few weeks before her 26th birthday. What doctors originally thought was a benign fibroid turned out to be Stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma, Nottingham grade 3, 24 mm tumor). This is a rare cancer, at around 10% of all breast cancer cases. It is also an aggressive cancer with a high rate of recurrence that requires fast, intensive treatment. Luckily, her team moved quickly. Within a few weeks, she’s had many painful diagnostic tests, been scheduled for port insertion and chemo, and joined some clinical trials. She’s being treated at Shands in Gainesville, a 45+ minute drive each way.
Right now, her treatment plan includes five months of chemotherapy. Her first infusion is December 24th.
• 1x/week chemo for 3 months with a three-drug regimen
• 2x/month chemo for 2 months
• After chemo: mastectomy, potentially other surgeries
• And possibly radiation afterward
On top of the shock and fear of all this, Emily is also facing financial stress. She needs to work part-time during the first 3 months of chemo to keep her health insurance through Starbucks, but her doctors expect she’ll have to stop working completely during the final 2 months of chemo. After that will come surgery or surgeries and recovery, meaning even more time without income. That’s at least 5-7 months of reduced or no pay.
Any donation can help cover:
- Medical costs, up to $5300/year, her out-of-pocket max
- Basic living expenses while she has lost wages
- Gas, food, and parking for frequent trips to Gainesville
- Comfort items during chemo, OTC meds, and other treatment-related needs
- Horseback riding on the beach (She’s 8 years too old for Make-A-Wish to pay for this, but she still has a wish!)
Our mom, Tina, has been going with Emily to her biopsies, oncology and surgery appointments, etc., and will plan to take her to chemo appointments. Tina is also a caretaker for my dad, a Vietnam vet with chronic health issues, who is not very mobile after a bout with double pneumonia this year. There is a meal train for chemo days (Lake City/Ft. White area). Unfortunately, there are no food delivery options to their house.
Thanks everyone, and we will keep you updated on her journey.