She Has Survived So Much. Now She Faces Cancer.
Have you ever faced something overwhelming and wondered who would show up? Barbara is facing that moment right now. There are women who survive things most people would never recover from. Barbara is one of them. She has endured profound personal loss, including the tragic loss of her son. She has walked through grief that reshapes a life. And yet she kept going. She kept loving. She kept showing up. Now she is facing thyroid cancer, back-to-back surgeries, and months of recovery. When cancer comes for someone who has already survived so much, what does community look like? If you can pause the scroll for just two minutes, hope might look like you. It looks like you pausing. Praying. Donating, even one dollar. Yes, even one. And sharing this fundraiser so it reaches someone else who can help.
“The call came at 5:00 pm. It was cancer.” After surgery to remove half of her thyroid, pathology confirmed thyroid cancer. Now, just days later, she is preparing for a second surgery to remove the remainder of her thyroid, followed by radioactive iodine treatment and days of required isolation. I spoke with Barbara on the phone and could hear it in her voice, the sense of facing a mountain without support. There is not a meal rotation already scheduled. There is not a team coordinating travel. There is not a built-in safety net stepping in. There is just Barbara and her husband navigating back-to-back surgeries, treatments 45 minutes from home, an aging truck making repeated drives, and medical bills already stacking into the thousands.
They are living on a fixed Social Security income. Between surgical copays, travel and gas for ongoing treatment, the costs associated with radioactive iodine therapy and lifelong medication, and lost income during recovery, this season will not be measured in days. It will be measured in months. No gift is too small. Even five dollars matters. It increases visibility and lets her know she is seen in her time of need. Please donate what you can, even one dollar, and then share this so it reaches more people who may want to help. If giving to this campaign is not possible, sharing this page, sending a meal through Uber delivery, or purchasing from her Amazon wish list are meaningful ways to show up too. Maybe you have sat in a hospital room, or at a kitchen table staring at bills, or driven home from an appointment carrying news that changes everything and wondered who would show up. We all hope that in our hardest moments, someone will see the need and not look away. Every donation, no matter the size, tells Barbara exactly that: “I see you. I will not look away.” This is not only about financial support. It is about helping carry the weight emotionally, spiritually, and practically. It is about reminding her that isolation does not mean abandonment. There is a quote that says, “Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is simply show up.” Let’s show up. Give what you can, even one dollar. Share this page. Leave a message of encouragement. Let’s not just ease the financial burden. Let’s surround her with the kind of support we hope would be there for us in our own time of need.
Have you ever faced something overwhelming and wondered who would show up? Barbara is facing that moment right now. There are women who survive things most people would never recover from. Barbara is one of them. She has endured profound personal loss, including the tragic loss of her son. She has walked through grief that reshapes a life. And yet she kept going. She kept loving. She kept showing up. Now she is facing thyroid cancer, back-to-back surgeries, and months of recovery. When cancer comes for someone who has already survived so much, what does community look like? If you can pause the scroll for just two minutes, hope might look like you. It looks like you pausing. Praying. Donating, even one dollar. Yes, even one. And sharing this fundraiser so it reaches someone else who can help.
“The call came at 5:00 pm. It was cancer.” After surgery to remove half of her thyroid, pathology confirmed thyroid cancer. Now, just days later, she is preparing for a second surgery to remove the remainder of her thyroid, followed by radioactive iodine treatment and days of required isolation. I spoke with Barbara on the phone and could hear it in her voice, the sense of facing a mountain without support. There is not a meal rotation already scheduled. There is not a team coordinating travel. There is not a built-in safety net stepping in. There is just Barbara and her husband navigating back-to-back surgeries, treatments 45 minutes from home, an aging truck making repeated drives, and medical bills already stacking into the thousands.
They are living on a fixed Social Security income. Between surgical copays, travel and gas for ongoing treatment, the costs associated with radioactive iodine therapy and lifelong medication, and lost income during recovery, this season will not be measured in days. It will be measured in months. No gift is too small. Even five dollars matters. It increases visibility and lets her know she is seen in her time of need. Please donate what you can, even one dollar, and then share this so it reaches more people who may want to help. If giving to this campaign is not possible, sharing this page, sending a meal through Uber delivery, or purchasing from her Amazon wish list are meaningful ways to show up too. Maybe you have sat in a hospital room, or at a kitchen table staring at bills, or driven home from an appointment carrying news that changes everything and wondered who would show up. We all hope that in our hardest moments, someone will see the need and not look away. Every donation, no matter the size, tells Barbara exactly that: “I see you. I will not look away.” This is not only about financial support. It is about helping carry the weight emotionally, spiritually, and practically. It is about reminding her that isolation does not mean abandonment. There is a quote that says, “Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is simply show up.” Let’s show up. Give what you can, even one dollar. Share this page. Leave a message of encouragement. Let’s not just ease the financial burden. Let’s surround her with the kind of support we hope would be there for us in our own time of need.
Organizer and beneficiary
Barbara Kompik
Beneficiary