I spent the evening with Shanda last night, along with 5 other women that I value and admire.Does it make it easier or harder that we’re in the medical field, when talking about the glioblastoma that Shanda had removed? On some level, it makes it easier as she can speak to us in clinical terms when discussing her history and course of treatment. She can use words like CSF leak, cognitive deficits and seizure risk, and not have to explain this further to us because we all share the same education. But as I lay awake last night wondering about the days ahead for Shanda and her kids, I think it is much harder that we know the medicine. I haven’t felt this powerless in some time, knowing there is little I can do to change the outcome of this diagnosis for my friend. 

Those of you who are familiar with Shanda’s work as an NP know that she is an entrepreneur. This means that she took her FTE at Northern Health to 0.4 so that she could privately contract herself to providing healthcare to many of the First Nation communities in the Cariboo and surrounding areas. Because her FTE is 0.4-she is only getting paid sick benefits for 2 days/week.  

I am starting this private GOFUNDME campaign to raise money for Shanda and her family so that having to worry about money in the coming months won’t be one of the stresses in their day to day life.