I'm not one to ask for help, but I'm really trying to raise enough money to help me and my family come up with out-of-pocket costs for my prophylactic mastectomy. I need at least $4,500 by the end of May. As of now, I'm scheduled for surgery on June 5th. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Even if it's a little, every little bit helps.

✨Most people know my mom passed away from triple-negative breast cancer that spread aggressively to her brain before she passed. After watching my mom go through everything she did, I was told to look into a mastectomy. I've been getting MRIs, ultrasounds, and doctors' check-ups for the past 3 1/2 years. Three months after my mom passed, they found a cyst in my right breast. They continue to monitor it, but it's progressively gotten more painful. I'm emotionally exhausted from losing my mom, fighting with insurance to cover scans every 6 months, copays for multiple doctors' visits, out-of-pocket costs for ultrasounds/MRIs, and more. Then throw on the anxiety and stress this all causes, not just for me but for my family as well. I'm a stay-at-home mom, I homeschool my daughters, and I've also had to help them navigate through their grief. It's been a lot. I will not let fear take over my life, thinking every time I go to the doctor they are going to possibly tell me they found something more. I will not give it that power over my life or me anymore. A quote I keep in mind is, "You don't want to catch breast cancer early; you don't want to catch breast cancer at all." And that's why I want to dramatically reduce my risks.

Taking my health and power into my own hands and knowing I did everything I could to be here for my loved ones and family. As much as I'm absolutely terrified of having this surgery, I know I'm making the very best choice for my family, for my daughters, in honor of my Mama, and for myself.

A prophylactic mastectomy can decrease the risk of developing breast cancer by 95% for people with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation and 90% for people with a strong family history of breast cancer. Cancer is a journey—whether you have it, you are supporting a loved one through it, grieving a loved one who had it, or trying to prevent it from happening to you.

So if you can help at all, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance!