Support Amber through Treatment

Hi Folks!

My name is Holly VanHouten -I'm Amber Masso's friend and colleague. If you're here, you know she was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkins Lymphoma. I'll share Amber's post about the diagnosis so you can hear the details from her.

It's been literally only 2 weeks since the first x-ray showing a mass, and she's already completed her first round of chemotherapy. Things have moved very quickly, and we're so glad she's got great doctors on her team helping to determine next steps and schedule her treatments. I know we've all been wondering how we can support her through the treatment process. And, there are a few ways to help. We'll keep you updated if other opportunities to help arise.

First, you can make a monetary donation. Right now, we're setting the goal at $5,000 (which may be increased as we learn about specific costs). We are still figuring out exactly what the cost will be, but we know there will be expenses. For example, we know she will have to pay the required out of pocket minimum before insurance covers remaining costs. We know she will be needing medical supplies for when she's at home, parking costs in the medical center, gas for travel to/from appointments, travel costs for her parents to visit, prescriptions to keep her treatment going smoothly, and food throughout the approximately 6-8 month timeline.

Any donation you make will go directly to Amber and the costs associated with her cancer treatment. Any amount is appreciated. If you'd like an alternative way to donate, you can send to Venmo @Holly-VanHouten-1 or Cash App $HollyVanHouten and put Amber in the memo line.

Second, our friend Milly Lackey is helping with groceries, meals, etc. We're not quite at the point of a meal train, but we will have one. If you want to send grocery gift cards or meal delivery gift cards (ie GrubHub, DoorDash, UberEats, etc.), you can send them to my email ([email redacted]) and I'll make sure they get to Amber and Milly. You can also email me if you want info on the meal train, once it's up and running.

Third, Amber will need a stem cell transplant. We're hopeful that she'll be able to be her own donor (meaning they take her stem cells mid-treatment timeline and later return them to her). We all know Amber's a helper, and one way to help others while we support Amber through this time is to register with Be a Match to potentially be matched as a stem cell donor to someone who needs a similar transplant.

Also, I want to THANK everyone who contributes in any way to support Amber through her treatment. If you have questions, want to send something not listed above, or think of something we haven't considered, please reach out to me directly by using the "CONTACT" button on this page. I'm happy to help you coordinate getting something to Amber or her family.