On January 15th, Kirstie was wrapping up a food drive where she mobilized over 30,000 pounds of food for our neighbors. She was set to launch a mutual aid network to get perishables into the hands of restaurant workers impacted by the surge of abductions in Minneapolis. She secured a large walk in space and when she got off the phone, she found out she had breast cancer through MyChart.

Kirstie is 34, has long COVID, and was just getting parts of her life back after struggling with long COVID symptoms since late 2022. Kirstie is self-employed. She’s an organizer, fundraiser, and independent journalist. She’s a mom to seven animals, including beloved Uptown coffee shop regular, Mr. Rogers.

Kirstie has gone above and beyond to take care of her community. She is the friend who is always giving and always shows up. Now it’s time for us to show up and take care of her.

Kirstie is having surgery Wednesday January 21st, which is much sooner than she anticipated and means that she has less time to coordinate for work and planning. She is seeking support to help cover her medical expenses (her out of pocket maximum is $10,450), holistic care (she is hoping to see an acupuncturist to help with chemo symptoms), and direct financial aid as she must take time off and doesn’t have PTO.

As Kirstie always likes to say, WE TAKE CARE OF US.