Hilary’s Medical Fund
Donation protected
Anyone who knows Hilary Kelly will tell you she is a beautiful soul. Hil is a creative, passionate woman who lights up the room and shows up with fierce gentleness for herself and her people. She graduated with a master’s in social work in 2019 from the University of Minnesota because she wanted to make showing up for kids and families her literal job. She landed her dream job as the City Connects Coordinator at an urban elementary school in Minneapolis where she also completed her senior internship during her grad program. Showing up for the kids, families and working closely with her colleagues fills her soul.
This is why we were all devastated and confused when Hilary had a seizure and was diagnosed with a brain tumor this June. We don’t get to control how the Universe works, but we get to control how we show up for the people we love. It’s our turn to show up for Hil and we are so glad you’ve joined us on this page.
After a biopsy on July 1st, Hil was officially diagnosed with a grade 2 diffuse astrocytoma, IDH mutant. Contrary to its intimidating name, this form of brain tumor is actually a favorable diagnosis (as favorable as brain cancer can be, anyway!) for several reasons. First, “grades” refer to the pace at which a tumor is growing, and grade 2 is considered a “slow growing” tumor. This means Hilary has had a few weeks to breathe, work with her team at Mayo Clinic, and prepare for her treatments without worrying about a rapid advance of cancer in her body. Second, diffuse astrocytomas are generally favorable both for removal through surgery and for effective but less-than-typically-intense radiation and chemotherapies (Hil is so excited that she likely won’t lose any of her gorgeous silver hair! Yay!).
In Hilary’s case, surgical removal of the tumor would be a tricky and risky process due to the location of the tumor. The tumor is about an inch above her left ear, in the region of the brain that controls her speech, motor skills (movement with hands, legs, arms, fingers, etc.) and personality functions. Her amazing team at Mayo is consulting to decide what the best option is for surgery. In the meantime, the team has developed a treatment plan for the radiation and chemotherapies that will kill and slow the advance of cancer cells. Hilary will receive her first treatment of radiation and chemotherapy that will last for 4-6 weeks beginning in early August. Simultaneously she will take chemotherapy drugs. The hope is that the combination of these two therapies will shrink the tumor and kill the cancer enough that surgical removal may not even be necessary. Overall, Hilary’s team at Mayo Clinic have given her a rough estimate that she will continue radiation and chemotherapy treatment for the next 8-9 months.
Hilary has built a beautiful support system and independent life that she loves in Minneapolis and she will be travelling to and from Rochester for her treatments. She made the difficult decision to take a medical leave of absence from the job she loves in Minneapolis in an effort to focus on battling this cancer and healing her body. Hilary put herself through both undergrad and graduate school, and she was diligent with her money throughout her first year of full time work. She has always taken pride in her ability to provide for herself, but it’s our turn to step up for this strong, beautiful friend, because there is just nothing reasonable about the cost of cancer. While Hilary is grateful to continue receiving some health insurance benefits during her medical leave, it will not be enough to cover all the costs during this time, so we are asking people to help in whatever amount they are able to give.
Your support and care mean the world to Hil, truly. She is determined to focus on her healing so she can get back to showing up as her strongest, healthiest self. We all want that more than anything, so let’s show up for Hilary together. Join us here for updates on Hil’s progress!
On behalf of Hilary and all of us,
The Kellys & Hilary’s closest supporters
This is why we were all devastated and confused when Hilary had a seizure and was diagnosed with a brain tumor this June. We don’t get to control how the Universe works, but we get to control how we show up for the people we love. It’s our turn to show up for Hil and we are so glad you’ve joined us on this page.
After a biopsy on July 1st, Hil was officially diagnosed with a grade 2 diffuse astrocytoma, IDH mutant. Contrary to its intimidating name, this form of brain tumor is actually a favorable diagnosis (as favorable as brain cancer can be, anyway!) for several reasons. First, “grades” refer to the pace at which a tumor is growing, and grade 2 is considered a “slow growing” tumor. This means Hilary has had a few weeks to breathe, work with her team at Mayo Clinic, and prepare for her treatments without worrying about a rapid advance of cancer in her body. Second, diffuse astrocytomas are generally favorable both for removal through surgery and for effective but less-than-typically-intense radiation and chemotherapies (Hil is so excited that she likely won’t lose any of her gorgeous silver hair! Yay!).
In Hilary’s case, surgical removal of the tumor would be a tricky and risky process due to the location of the tumor. The tumor is about an inch above her left ear, in the region of the brain that controls her speech, motor skills (movement with hands, legs, arms, fingers, etc.) and personality functions. Her amazing team at Mayo is consulting to decide what the best option is for surgery. In the meantime, the team has developed a treatment plan for the radiation and chemotherapies that will kill and slow the advance of cancer cells. Hilary will receive her first treatment of radiation and chemotherapy that will last for 4-6 weeks beginning in early August. Simultaneously she will take chemotherapy drugs. The hope is that the combination of these two therapies will shrink the tumor and kill the cancer enough that surgical removal may not even be necessary. Overall, Hilary’s team at Mayo Clinic have given her a rough estimate that she will continue radiation and chemotherapy treatment for the next 8-9 months.
Hilary has built a beautiful support system and independent life that she loves in Minneapolis and she will be travelling to and from Rochester for her treatments. She made the difficult decision to take a medical leave of absence from the job she loves in Minneapolis in an effort to focus on battling this cancer and healing her body. Hilary put herself through both undergrad and graduate school, and she was diligent with her money throughout her first year of full time work. She has always taken pride in her ability to provide for herself, but it’s our turn to step up for this strong, beautiful friend, because there is just nothing reasonable about the cost of cancer. While Hilary is grateful to continue receiving some health insurance benefits during her medical leave, it will not be enough to cover all the costs during this time, so we are asking people to help in whatever amount they are able to give.
Your support and care mean the world to Hil, truly. She is determined to focus on her healing so she can get back to showing up as her strongest, healthiest self. We all want that more than anything, so let’s show up for Hilary together. Join us here for updates on Hil’s progress!
On behalf of Hilary and all of us,
The Kellys & Hilary’s closest supporters
Co-organizers (2)
Heather Hughes
Organizer
Rochester, MN
Hilary Kelly
Beneficiary
Holly Benke
Co-organizer