Lesya Chulovska

My name is Max Manley, and I am Lesya Chulovska's manager. She has worked for me for four years, during which she has become an integral part of my team. More importantly, she has become a friend. Lesya is one of the most positive, optimistic people I have ever met. She brings a smile to everyone's face and is more concerned with everyone else's comfort than her own. Although Lesya has mastered English, her most indelible moments come from her ability to truly listen.

Lesya was born and raised in *Eastern Europe*, and still has family living there through the last two years of war. This has been tremendously stressful and difficult for her. Despite that, she has continued to be the same optimistic, smiling person she always has been. She has been through unbelievable hardships, though she would be the last to tell you about it. Lesya came to the U.S. as an adult, despite having a career in *Eastern Europe* as a Chemistry Teacher. She arrived here with nothing, did not speak the language, and had no easy path forward. However, that is not how Lesya saw it. She felt blessed to have a blank canvas and the endless opportunities of America in front of her. Then she got to work, trying to give her son a better childhood with more opportunities than she had. She worked long hours while taking English classes, all while raising her son in an unfamiliar country. She knew she would never be rich, but she lived frugally and kept smiling. She continued building her modest, yet happy life with her son. Early in her American journey, Lesya found a community and countless friends at St. Michael *Eastern European* Catholic Church. Eventually, her son went to college and got a degree in Engineering. He clearly had the same love for math and science as his mother. Around the time he graduated, Lesya began working as a Residences Concierge, where she met another amazing community, with people she cared deeply for.

Several weeks ago, Lesya complained about not feeling great. This was almost unheard of in the time I have known her. After a stay at the hospital, and an array of tests, Lesya was diagnosed with cancer. While Lesya prefers to keep her struggles private, I know that she needs help right now. I spoke with a dear friend of Lesya’s, who filled me in on some more details of Lesya’s cancer diagnosis, her hardships, and the plan moving forward. Below are some of those details, and information on why raising funds for Lesya is so important, and how they will be used.

Lesya has cancer in her uterus and ovaries. It is not yet clear which of the two it originated in before spreading to the other. It has also metastasized to her lungs. Because of this spread, it is considered stage 4 cancer. Her doctors are trying to figure out if it has spread elsewhere. In the meantime, she has begun intense and expensive treatment. Her treatment includes surgery and chemotherapy. According to her doctors, this type of cancer typically responds well to chemo. The plan is to shrink the cancer as much as possible, before surgery to remove as much as the cancer as possible, which would include a hysterectomy. DNA can then be tested from the cancer cells, which may help doctors create a more targeted chemotherapy treatment at that point.

Regardless of the success of any one treatment, Lesya will be stuck with medical bills and related expenses, which have already grown beyond her means. It broke my heart to hear that she had charged a $1,000 co-pay for a treatment to a credit card, because she did not have the money in her account. She still has to pay things like her car payment, insurance, utilities and rent, which has inflated in price significantly over the last two years. Lesya does still have some income, receiving a portion of her regular salary for a few months with Short Term Disability coverage through the company. However, that will only go so far – and certainly won’t cover her ongoing medical expenses.

My ask is for anyone who can help, even with a small donation, please consider doing so. Every penny will go to Lesya to pay medical expenses and other bills & costs that are accumulating because of her being out of work indefinitely. Whether you choose to give financial support or not, I also am asking on behalf of Lesya for your continued thoughts and prayers. As you may know, Lesya is a woman of strong faith. She genuinely believes in the power of prayer, and your prayers for her would be most appreciated. Finally, if you have a card or a note you would like Lesya to receive, I will collect them at my office, and deliver to her. Thank you all for your consideration and for the love and concern that has everyone has shown. Lesya is strong, and I know she will fight this with everything she’s got.

Sincerely,

Max Manley

*please note, I had to replace Lesya's home country with the generic term "Eastern Europe". This was due to the platform assuming having the name of her home country in the description, meant this was a fundraiser related to the war, which apparently is not allowed without special approval. Obviously this is not a fundraiser related to the war in *Eastern Europe*, it is to support Lesya*