Support for Catherine's Healing

In January of this year, our dear friend Catherine Smith was diagnosed with metastatic intraductal breast cancer.  Living in the Hudson Valley with her husband and daughter, Catherine’s health-supporting lifestyle has been exemplary. And yet, like so many otherwise-healthy victims, she has developed a very serious carcinoma.

Because the cancer has spread to some of her lymph nodes, the doctors are now beginning an aggressive treatment plan of five months of chemo to hopefully shrink the tumors, followed by surgery and then physical therapy.

Facing this life-altering situation and months of debilitating treatment is traumatic enough, but Catherine and her family also have to cope with the financial consequences of her cancer. She works as a commercial photographer and during her most lucrative months - the wedding season from Spring through Summer - she will be in treatment and recovery. In addition, because of the aggressive intervention ahead, Catherine will not be reliably available to her daughter, Dodge, who has Down’s Syndrome. Dodge depends on Catherine as her cherished  mother, friend, and teacher. Certainly friends and family will help with Dodge.  Hired help will also be needed.

This, of course, costs money.

And so do the holistic therapies that have been recommended to Catherine to strengthen her for chemo, radiation, and surgery. She has already found that acupuncture, herbs, and regular consultations with her functional-medicine doctor (not covered by insurance) are helping to lessen the high level of stress that surrounds this challenging situation.  Because her disease feeds on stress, such supportive therapies can be life-changing. But they’re not easily affordable, long term, given the economic hardship that Catherine’s cancer has created. Paying the usual bills of living will be hard enough.

Unless we all act together, here and now.  

This fundraising campaign aims to support the expenses for Catherine and her family for the next seven months. While she works with the doctors to eradicate the cancer from her body, we can help her in this year of transformation with the heart gifts of love and generosity. As  Catherine said, “That is the most powerful medicine and I believe in it.”

With deep appreciation for your consideration,
Elaine Khosrova and Christiana Wall