Sarah, 31, & Fighting Cancer

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Sarah, you know her infectious laugh and caring heart. You probably know that she has dedicated herself to early childhood education, earning her Masters in Education and is just 4 months away from earning her credential. You may have also had the pleasure of meeting Jeff, her unwavering partner and new husband. The two were married in a beautiful ceremony in June and were looking forward to their next chapter, building a family together. But just 2 weeks before getting married, Sarah knew something was terribly wrong. Sarah was diagnosed with Stage 2B cervical cancer.

Full of fear and uncertainty, Sarah and Jeff considered calling off the wedding due to unknown anticipated medical costs, but chose to move forward to celebrate their love and not let a diagnosis get in the way of living. Screw cancer, we’re getting married!

Carrying the weight of that news during their wedding was tough, but they had the time of their lives sharing their special day with friends and family that are undoubtedly a crucial support system.

Instead of a honeymoon, Sarah and Jeff went straight towards fighting this aggressive cancer. The money that they were gifted for the wedding went straight towards rent and mounting medical bills. Thousands of dollars were spent trying to diagnose where Sarah’s cancer was at, making appointments with specialists, meeting out-of-pocket deductibles, and traveling back-and-forth from Fresno to Stanford. These costs are going to continue to add up as her journey toward healing gets started. 

This Saturday, Sarah will have an extensive surgery, part of which will be relocating her ovaries behind her spleen. After this surgery, Sarah will be undergoing 25 rounds of external radiation every day for 5 weeks, followed by internal radiation for 3 weeks, and chemotherapy treatments once a week through mid-December.

Despite the road ahead, Sarah and Jeff still have hope to start a family one day. Unfortunately, due to financial struggles, the time to freeze Sarah's embryos has already passed. Sarah and Jeff are praying that she will, first and foremost, get through this! We are also praying that her ovaries will be shielded from the radiation and chemotherapy so that they can retrieve her eggs after she beats cancer.  With the help of a fertility doctor, there is still a 50/50 chance. 

Sarah and Jeff are beyond grateful for the help and support they have already received, but it has been overwhelming living paycheck-to-paycheck while Sarah is fighting for her life. It takes a village to support a cancer patient. Sarah and Jeff are humbly asking their village for help. No gift is too small, any amount will be an enormous help! Simply sharing this link with your friends and family is a gift in itself!

Because Sarah is so young (she’s only 31), there is limited support and resources for cervical cancer patients her age. Sarah is in a unique position to share her journey with others and is truly dedicated to sharing her story and raising awareness. Cervical cancer is the #1 “silent” killer for women of ALL ages. Sarah would like to share her diagnosis story and document her progress through videos to help educate women. Sarah is passionate about sharing an honest portrayal of her journey in the hopes of raising awareness of this silent killer.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Let's show Sarah and Jeff what this village is capable of!