Laura (Lo) Aleo is an amazing friend, cousin, auntie, godmother, partner, artist and collaborator. From the east coast to the west coast and everywhere in between, there are hundreds of us who have been touched by her warmth, generosity, and unwavering support. As someone who has been her friend for over twenty years, it’s hard to count how many vulnerable moments Laura has seen me through.

As so many of us know: Laura’s capacity to show up for her community is nothing short of remarkable.

In early August of this year, after feeling a lump in her breast and bravely seeking follow-up, Laura was diagnosed with breast cancer, specifically Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. A biopsy classified the tumor as Grade 3, meaning that the cells may grow or spread more aggressively and indicating a level of urgency to initiate treatment. The tumor was also found to be triple negative, meaning that it lacks the receptors that will respond to hormone therapies, and requires chemotherapy. Through further testing, her doctors determined that there was a second, larger, cancerous tumor but that, fortunately, there were no signs of spread to lymph nodes. Her final diagnosis is Stage 1 Triple Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. The plan for Laura’s treatment is to act quickly and aggressively with chemotherapy, surgery, and possibly radiation. The goal of her treatment plan is CURATIVE, and her treatment team is very optimistic, given how early the tumors were caught.

Thanks to an amazing oncology team at Lifespan Cancer Institute in Providence, RI, Laura began chemotherapy on September 2nd, just one month after her initial diagnosis. The plan is for Laura to complete 24 weeks of chemotherapy and immunotherapy followed by surgery and recovery, 6 months of continued immunotherapy, and, pending the type of surgery, up to six months of radiation concurrently as well. This adds up to somewhere between 12 and 18 months of treatment. In addition to this treatment plan, Laura will be supported by physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, acupuncture, reiki, homeopathy, and other complementary approaches to aid with her healing, side effects of medications, and overall physical health and well-being following chemo, surgery, and radiation. Some of these appointments will be covered fully by insurance, some partially, and some not at all.

As some of you know – and as many of you can assume – this diagnosis and treatment plan comes with a lot of unexpected expenses. Though she plans to work through the entirety of her treatment, and she is so grateful to all of her colleagues who are incredibly supportive (shout out to all of you who work with Laura!), due to her inability to travel, she will still endure a loss of income, not being able to attend her usual line-up of gigs. Laura’s uncovered medical expenses are expected to be between $14,000 – $20,000. All of this – medical expenses; lost income; and incidentals like extra pet care, nutritional supplements, and any in-home support she might need – adds up quickly.

If you know Laura well, you know that asking for support – particularly financial – doesn’t come naturally. I’m sure there are many of you out there who can empathize: sometimes it’s so much easier to give to others than it is to receive for ourselves. Because this GoFundMe is a stretch for Laura, I invite us all to acknowledge it as one of many challenges presented by her diagnosis. Asking for help is a skill she will be developing a lot of over the next two years. As time moves on, I am sure she will have more and more to teach all of us about vulnerability, self-advocacy, and what it means to lean on your community during hard times.

No doubt, these are skills we are all refining across our lifetime!

Any and all donations will not just be appreciated by Laura, but by all of us who love her. Her health and well-being is a gift to every single one of us who benefit from her presence. The ripple effect of your generosity is great – perhaps more than you can even imagine, given how many people Laura has touched and brought into her community over the years.

These kinds of monumental events are not meant to be weathered alone. Thank you in advance for showing up in whatever way fits your energy, your financial picture, and feels appropriate given your connection to this incredible human we call Laura (Lo) Aleo.

With gratitude,

Liz