As many of you know, our dear friend / pet rescuer / beautiful weirdo about town Alessandra was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in September. She is now about a month into treatment, and we are still learning what the process looks like and what is needed to get through it and to stay sturdy through the physical and emotional challenges of chemotherapy.

From Alessandra:

"I’ve had a lot of people ask how they can help (thank you). Before accepting any financial support I wanted to take some time to see what programs were available to me and where the gaps would be. I want to be transparent in saying that my immediate basic cost of living needs and medical expenses are currently being met. (All hail public health and social workers who are fluent at resource navigation). My biggest need right now is for access to supplemental physical and mental health and self care that insurance doesn’t cover. My hope is to be able to replenish myself between chemo cycles to keep my endurance up for the long road ahead."

The current plan is 9 weeks of chemo, followed by surgery in late December / January, followed by another 9 weeks of chemo. Our goal with this fundraiser is to ensure Alessandra's access to the resources that she needs to manage medication side effects and care for herself well during this initial phase of treatment. Donations will be applied to adjunctive care and other needs and comforts that are not covered by insurance or other benefits, including: