Helping Shena Heal, Live, & Thrive Beyond Cancer
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For almost three years, I have spent almost all of my time at countless doctor appointments, hospital stays and in rehabilitation battling hormonal positive breast cancer. As you can imagine, the normal costs of everyday living...such as rent, food, transportation, in addition to the medical costs, has been astronomical. I am now working to recover from this very long journey.
Your support will enable me to concentrate on healing and getting stronger.
Many have reached out in support and helped since 2020–I am truly grateful for this help and still need support as I get back on my feet.
If you are unable to contribute financially, you can still support this cause by sharing this link with friends, family, and social networks. The power of our collective outreach can bring the gift of a successful new start in life for me after this long journey.
From the bottom of my heart I humbly ask that you share this link with friends and family and, if possible, in giving (any amount will help). I thank you for your support and God bless each and every one of you!!
__________More about my journey:
Hello! Thank you for dropping by my page. My name is Shena Collins. I was diagnosed with metastatic hormonal triple-positive breast cancer–an incurable and aggressive form of cancer.
My cancer experience began in October 2020 and continues to this day.
In May 2023, I was finally declared to be in a state of no evidence of disease (NED) and fully healed from a difficult breast reconstruction process. Hooray! However, given the nature of the cancer I have, I will remain in active treatment (on endocrine therapy) for 5-10 years with regular screenings every few months.
Your donations will help me get back on my feet after this nearly 3-year-long battle to reclaim my health and my body and they will help me continue to heal—physically and emotionally—and stay healthy, avoiding a metastasis of cancer to the best of my ability.
In addition to helping me with the mountain of bills from the last 3 years, your generosity will also help me pay for life-saving medications and therapies not covered by insurance, finding and keeping safe and secure housing (I spent 5 months homeless while battling cancer), while also helping me gain and maintain reliable transportation to take myself to and from medical appointments and treatments. (I also manage chronic migraines, arthritis, degenerative disk disease, complex post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and panic disorders, depression, and have been being treated for a chronic pain condition I developed in 2015 after a major surgery.)
I am a single woman without children and this cancer took everything from me. Because of cancer, I lost my home, a business, a car, my mental health, my dignity, my physical health, my ability to work full-time—these are just some of things I lost during the last 3 years. I need your help regaining all that was lost in order to move forward and live the healthiest life I can.
To say the least, battling this cancer completely devastated me and destroyed everything I had built and worked hard for.
Will you help me get back on my feet with a donation?
Any amount helps and I am truly grateful for the kindness friends, strangers, social service programs, and charitable organizations that have helped me endure the many challenges faced during my cancer treatments and all those now helping me journey back to health and stability. Thank you, everyone.
Sincerely,
Shena Collins
#ShenaStrong
“Shena is a free-spirited, creative who does everything with passion. She shares more in a 12-minute video than many people share in a lifetime. She is amazing, shocking, and sometimes her cancer experience is heartbreaking. Please consider helping her. Thank you. #shenastrong “
-Amy C.
Shena was diagnosed in October 2020 with one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer—hormonal-positive, triple-positive, invasive, and inflammatory. Within two months after a clean mammogram, Shena found a tumor. Her MRIs revealed the cancerous tumor spread throughout the right upper quadrant of her chest.
Shena has what is considered “triple-positive” breast cancer. She is PR+, ER+, and HER2+. You can learn more about this type of breast cancer from this link to Conquer magazine’s April 2021 article: About Triple Positive Breast Cancer
In December 2020, Shena underwent a bilateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction was attempted at the same time.
In January 2021, Shena began chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments. These weekly infusions lasted until February 2022.
In October 2022, she faced her last major surgery. This was a nearly 12-hour surgery to remove skin that was necrosing (dying) and it was also her final attempt at breast reconstruction. Skin, tissue, muscle, and blood vessels were taken from her back and moved to her chest. Recovery took about 3 months.
In January 2023, Shena's tissue expanders were swapped for silicon implants. Shena had 3 months of recovery time.
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“But wigs are really cool! I am grateful for The Friends of UW Hospital Wigs for Patients program. This is one of my favorites shown below. I have blonde ones, brown ones, black ones, short ones, long ones…oh my gosh! They are so much fun and it makes me so happy!” -Shena Collins
Your donations are helping ease the worries and burdens breast cancer has created for Shena.
Below:
“Shortly after we shaved the head. My hair was falling out in clumps. My scalp also stopped hurting after we shaved it, too. We had a fun head-shaving party.” -Shena
At 46 years young, my doctor told me the news that I was diagnosed with hormonal metastatic breast cancer--both invasive and inflammatory--only two months after a perfectly clean mammogram on August 27, 2020. This form of breast cancer is one of the most aggressive types.
I fight on, #ShenaStrong, because #CancerSucks and it changes everything. As my “new normal” evolves, I hope you find strength and inspiration in my struggles, triumphs, and sharing of the intimacy of my personal cancer journey. #FightOn #PinkWarriors -Shena
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You can follow and join Shena’s journey—she hopes it helps yours or that of someone you know.
Your gifts are not only giving Shena the help she needs, it is helping her to share a very personal journey with others that need hope, inspiration, and the knowing that fighting this horrible disease is worth it.
There are several ways you can be part of #ShenaStrong’s mission. Listed next are several ways you can offer support. Take your pick of professional fundraising platforms or give directly to Shena:
Let’s share a coffee! A platform for folks to support their favorite creators with just 3 dollars!!!
to shop for inspiring clothing, etc.
Snail Mail:
Shena Collins, Shena_Strong, PO Box 33, Westfield, WI 53964
YouTube Channel:
FB documenting her journey
Direct to Shena:
- Venmo: @ShenaStrong (1048 last 4 of phone number)
- Paypal.me/ShenaStrongWisconsin
- Snail Mail: Shena Collins, PO Box 33, Westfield, WI. 53964
Twitter
https://twitter.com/shena_collins RT and use #shenastrong
Shena Strong online store:
https://www.shenastrong.org/ apparel, drinkware, household items, and more with kick cancer artwork on it.
Watch her youtube vidoes:
Listen to her podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/7yNN8xcGg1fOjeufRTItNJ
FB documenting her journey
Direct to Shena:
- Venmo: @ShenaStrong (1048 last 4 of phone number)
- Paypal.me/ShenaStrongWisconsin
- Snail Mail: Shena Collins, PO Box 33, Westfield, WI. 53964
Campaign Page:
Please subscribe to updates as Shena shares her personal journey publicly. For Shena, sharing her fight with #BreastCancer and documenting the journey is healing. Shena has always enjoyed helping others and it’s only natural for her to take her “big mouth” and use it to help other cancer patients and caregivers. Please give if you can! Thank you for your help.
HER2+ Cancer information:
Organizer
Shena Collins
Organizer
Westfield, WI
