Support for the Ivan and Greshella Capps Family

Their life together has just begun. Ivan and Greshella were married in 2019, and soon came baby Owen in 2020. Then came the biggest hurdle their small family has yet faced. In September of 2021, only 10 months after welcoming baby Owen into the world, Greshella was diagnosed with Stage 4 Inflammatory Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Inflammatory Metastatic Breast Cancer is incredibly rare. For this reason there are few oncologists are willing to provide anything other than palliative care. There are specialists that work hard with patients to fight this disease however. Ivan and Greshella are planning a trip to Texas to visit the The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center where advanced research and treatment are being conducted.

Ivan has long been a huge support to employees in the Bureau of Land Management, working as IT support and touching everyone that has come to know him with his kind heart and quick wit. Greshella came to our small community of Salmon, Idaho from the Philippines after her marriage to Ivan and has quickly become a valued member of the community. She always has a kind word and beaming smile for any and all. Little Owen is quickly finding his own personality and continues to be a joy to his parents. Ivan and Greshella are also working diligently to be able to procure visas for her family to come to the US to visit, having never met little Owen.

Please find a little more giving in your heart this season and help this wonderful family with medical expenses, travel to specialists, and hopefully, getting overseas family to the States. Also, below is a statement from Greshella:

"The Doctor told me what nobody would ever want to hear. I don't remember how he said it, but along the lines of "you have metastatic breast cancer and is has some traces of it in your liver." I was hearing facts based on the results of biopsy and MRI.

I was diagnosed eventually with Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC). It took almost 3 months for the diagnosis. This disease is usually misdiagnosed and by the time symptoms are correctly identified it is usually already stage 3 or stage 4. The mortality rate you will find online is grim. But, I found some women surviving and thriving 10-20 years after diagnosis!

I was calm. Everybody dies, and I am not afraid to die. Then, I remembered my little boy who is just about to turn 1 year old and I felt heartbroken - but not for long. I remembered all His Blessings, all His Goodness, all His Faithfulness to me and all His Promises. I let Him fill my heart with peace and I pray for His loving kindness to be displayed once more in my life.

I have started my chemo treatments. I am excited to be fighting this disease. I am very hopeful. I have a Mighty God, who never changes. He made miracles before and He can do it again, and again! I also have family and friends that are rooting for me, and praying for me. I will do my best to stay strong, but friendship and prayers will help me be stronger!

Nobody knows what the future holds, I am LIVING one day at a time beside my loving husband, and my precious little boy through all the seasons of life."