Support Clare's Battle with Breast Cancer

My sister-in-law, Clare Atkins, received terrible news in 2024. At the age of 32, she was diagnosed with stage 2 triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma (AKA breast cancer). This type of cancer is fast-growing and invasive, so an aggressive treatment began right away.

In December, Clare finished the last of 16 total rounds of chemotherapy, in which the last 4 treatments switched to the dreaded AKA Red Devil. Fevers and rashes caused delays and emergency room visits, and they had to divide some treatments into two sessions to stay on track. She made it through and is very happy to have that part of it behind her.

Needless to say, she missed a lot of work during the past 6 months, which well surpassed any time off she had accumulated. Kyle (my step-brother) and Clare were married in 2022, and they had their son Harrison in 2023. Kyle works at a wholesale distributor, and Clare is a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurse. Unfortunately, their insurance has a high deductible and cost share, so they owed thousands out of pocket for 2024. Now a new year begins and the deductible and cost share start over.

Clare is not through with the process; she is scheduled for a bilateral mastectomy this month. After that, she has numerous rounds of radiation treatments and reconstruction to follow. The medical bills are once again going to really add up for this young family.

As a NICU nurse, Clare is one of the "Silent Heroes" behind the doctor. My hopes are that, if you know Clare and Kyle, or you have a similar story with a loved one, that you might also be that Silent Hero and help out with a donation to this family. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and may your thoughts be with Clare!