Support a Family Battling Cancer and Crisis

Help Our Family Through an Unimaginable Time

Life has thrown our family into a storm we never saw coming. Right now, we are facing three of the most stressful life events at the same time and we need help to keep going.

A Cancer Diagnosis That Changed Everything

In the middle of December, I suffered a shocking injury. I slipped and broke my femur. The doctors were stunned because such a severe break is incredibly rare for someone my age. After days of tests, I underwent surgery, where my femur was repaired with a plate, a rod, and dozens of screws. I was transferred to a rehabilitation and nursing home on Christmas Eve, where I spent the holidays away from my husband and our three young children, learning how to safely use a walker and wheelchair.

Nearly four weeks later, just before I was set to go home, I received a devastating call from my surgeon: the final biopsy results had come back. I had osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer. The news was crushing, but what made it even harder was the agonizing wait that followed. For nearly a month, we lived in fear and uncertainty, not knowing if the cancer had already spread and what my future would look like. It wasn’t until the full-body PET scan confirmed the staging that we finally received a small relief. The cancer had not spread to my lungs. This meant that, while the road ahead would be long and difficult, we at least had a clear path forward with treatment and hope for a cure.

My current treatment plan includes 11 weeks of chemotherapy, a combination of outpatient appointments and overnight hospital stays, a second major femur surgery, and then more chemotherapy. This means I will go through another long surgery recovery.

Losing Income When We Need it the Most

Adding to our challenges, my husband started a promising new job, only for the company to announce layoffs less than a month later. By the start of December, he had lost his job. This devastating blow came just weeks before my diagnosis, leaving us suddenly without his income while also facing medical bills.

Losing Our Home at the Worst Possible Time

As if cancer and job loss weren’t enough, at the end of January, our landlord informed us they are selling the home we rent. Despite originally telling us they wanted long-term tenants, we were told we must move out by the end of April: right when I will tentatively be heading in to my next surgery.

We are desperately trying to find a new rental in the same neighborhood so our children can stay in their current school with their friends, one of the few sources of stability they have left.

How This Is Affecting Our Kids

Through all of this, our kids are struggling in ways no child should have to. Being apart for the Christmas holiday while I was in a rehabilitation facility was already heartbreaking when we thought we were just getting through a difficult recovery from my broken femur. But now, they are facing something even harder: the reality that I have cancer.

Our oldest child is receiving support from a therapist to process everything. Our middle child is working with a school counselor to help navigate the emotional toll. Our youngest had a really difficult time when I was away, and we know this will only get harder once chemo begins and I have to spend even more time in the hospital.

We are doing everything we can to keep them feeling safe and loved, but this has turned their world upside down.

Right now, we are doing our best to stay together as much as possible. I sleep in a hospital bed on the bottom floor of our house, and my husband sleeps on the couch next to me. Most mornings, we wake up to all three kids curled up beside us, seeking comfort and security.

How My Husband Has Taken on Everything

Since my surgery, my mobility has been severely impacted. I am still unable to walk, and my upcoming surgery means I may not regain full mobility until the second half of the year. My husband now takes care of everything: caring for me, cooking, cleaning, driving the kids everywhere, and everything else you could think of, all while searching for a new job and trying to figure out our housing situation. He is carrying more than any one person should have to.

How You Can Help

We know that times are tough for so many people right now, and that there are countless worthy causes asking for support. It means the world to us that you even took the time to read our story.

If you are able to contribute financially, your generosity will go directly toward:

Medical expenses for my treatment and therapy for our oldest child

Rent and moving costs to keep a stable home for our kids

Daily living expenses while my husband searches for work

Childcare and transportation support while I remain unable to drive or walk

If you’re unable to give monetarily (or want to help in other ways), here’s how you can still make a big impact:

Share our story: spreading the word helps more than you know!

Send words of encouragement and support: they truly mean a lot.

Job referrals or leads for my husband: any networking help would be invaluable. (his LinkedIn)

Our landlord is open to selling the house directly to an investor. Do you know anyone who invests in single-family rentals in the Tri-Valley area and might be interested in purchasing while allowing us to stay? If so, please connect us!

We never imagined we’d be in this situation, but we cannot do this alone. Every act of kindness, big or small, makes a difference.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support during this incredibly difficult time.