Friends, Family, and Community,

​Thea and I have learned that life has a way of testing the strength of our resilience when we least expect it. Asking for help is not something that comes naturally to either of us; in truth, it requires us to set aside our pride and admit that we have reached a point where we cannot navigate this challenge on our own.

​As many of you know, Thea is a woman of incredible determination, strength, and independence. She has built her life on a foundation of self-reliance and creative passion. Yet, even the strongest among us can face moments that feel insurmountable. Currently, she is navigating the most frightening, complex challenge of her life, and as her husband, my priority is ensuring she has the space, the stability, and the peace of mind, body and spirit to focus entirely on her healing.

​It is with humility and gratitude that I share her words below, and we thank you for standing with us.

"Dear Friends, Family, and Community,

This past February, just two weeks after returning from our honeymoon, my new husband John and I received news that completely upended our lives. After six years of clean scans, I was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time.

An MRI and subsequent biopsy detected both invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma in the same breast. Medically, this is a new primary cancer, entirely unrelated to my first bout. Because I have already undergone a lumpectomy and radiation on that breast in the past, a mastectomy is now my only option. To minimize the potential for future recurrences, and for both medical and cosmetic reasons, I have chosen to undergo a double mastectomy (DMX) followed by reconstruction.

My first surgery is scheduled for June 4th and the second will happen 3-6 months after. In the interim I will have expanders, requiring bi-monthly visits to the plastic surgeon. There is a 30% chance of complications with healing from this type of surgery and we won't know if my treatment will also require chemotherapy until the post-surgery pathology report is issued. The challenge of "not knowing" is one of the hardest parts of living with cancer. Another difficult part is having to cancel all your plans.

Dreams on Pause

Despite this diagnosis, we had been determined to keep moving forward with our dreams of buying a home together. This would require selling mine and renting his. We have both invested a huge commitment of time and money to make it all happen but the time ran out. I also recently started Graduate School for Holistic Mental Health Counseling—a long-held dream and a major career pivot after 30 years of working as a professional craft artist and jewelry designer. Cancer has forced us to pause everything.

Because of the physical toll of multiple surgeries and a grueling, multi-month recovery process, I will be unable to work in my studio or attend the craft shows that provide the main source of my income. For an extra (not so) funny karmic joke, the final show planned before surgery was cancelled due to heavy storms. The loss is equal to a month of income. With few alternative ways to sell inventory to pay expenses or pay myself, the reality of my present financial situation is finally becoming clear and it is time to ask for your help.

Learning to Ask for Help

For all of my adult life, I have been a resilient, resourceful, creative, and fiercely independent woman who is not used to publicly asking for help. For 19 years, I have been a solo parent to my son, Edan, who has just returned home from his first year of college. I am a mother accustomed to working through sickness, forging ahead against the odds and being very self reliant. When I fought cancer the first time, I didn't stop working for more than a week because I didn't think I had a choice. This time around, the journey will be longer and more intense. It is simply too big to carry alone.

While I am incredibly blessed to have John’s love, support and caretaking, we are both independent business owners, homeowners and parents. Neither of us is prepared for him to carry both of our households entirely on his own. I am asking for your financial help so that we both can stay focused on healing and recovery and not worry about basic financial survival. Your generosity will directly help me stay afloat over the coming months.

How Your Support Will Help

Donations will be used to cover:

Essential Living Expenses: Assisting with ongoing monthly overhead costs for my home and business while I am unable to generate income.

Medical & Recovery Equipment: Purchasing specific recovery necessities, such as the specialized power recliner I will need to live in for a minimum of two weeks after each surgery.

Peace of Mind: Allowing me to endure the physical and emotional toll of surgery and recovery without the paralyzing stress of unmet financial responsibilities.

Even if you are unable to contribute financially, holding us in your thoughts and prayers and sharing this GoFundMe link with your own friends, circles, and communities is just as deeply valuable to us.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and we will keep you updated as events unfold."

With Gratitude and Love,

Thea & John