Help Shannon fight Breast Cancer

Shannon Woodard is a hard working Kindergarten teacher and single mother of two sweet boys. She is also one of the nicest, most giving, and most deserving people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Last year Shannon had a major surgery that  resulted in the use of a lot of the sick leave she had. Now, for the last 2 1/2 months, Shannon has been dealing with a lump in her left breast. After getting a mammogram, ultrasound, and a biopsy, she was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer). She will now need either a lumpectomy, mastectomy, or double mastectomy depending on the results of the many blood tests she's had.  Her prognostic markers came back as triple negative which means she will have to go through aggressive chemo. She is scheduled for 5 months of chemo treatment right now in hopes that it will reduce the size of her tumor before they perform whichever surgery will be necessary. One of her lymph nodes also tested positive so she will have to have lymphedema therapy after surgery. In the next couple of months, she is looking at hair loss, fatigue, and nausea. 

She is a strong woman and says she is at peace with the physical healing of her body, but is struggling with the knowledge of what this will mean to her boys.  Her wish is to keep life for them as normal as possible through this process and limit their anxiety. Luckily, she has a long list of people who are more than willing to help her with this wish.

Her most immediate need, besides a great number of prayers, is financial support. She's about to bear the financial burden that leave without pay, (while still having to pay her medical insurance each month to avoid loss of coverage) and medical bills will put on her. Her first appointment cost her over $1600 out of pocket and her next doctor's office has already informed her that it will cost her over $600 out of pocket just to put a picc line in for her chemotherapy treatments.

Anything you are able to contribute, big or small, is appreciated! Please continue to pray for Shannon's continued positivity and a quick, pain-free recovery. For updates on Shannon's journey, visit  www.caringbridge.org/visit/shannonwoodard.


Proverbs 17:22 – A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.