It's my birthday, and it feels relevant to share today some pretty devastating news I've been holding onto for a while. I've been diagnosed with stage 4 triple negative breast cancer. After my mastectomy this summer, they found tumors in my spine and liver. I was medevacked from Germany to Walter Reed hospital in Maryland early September and have been receiving treatment here since. But prognosis is poor and the despair is real. They said 6 months to a year, maybe 18 months if I'm lucky. Made it very clear I need to choose where to spend the last year of my life. My grief of having my future ripped away from me is overwhelming and I don't know what else to say to describe how life shattering this is.

My therapist says I need to be more open to receiving love and support. So here I am sharing such deeply personal news so publicly. Mostly if you can just pray for me however you pray, send me healing energy during your meditations, make a wish on my behalf, pass those good vibes, write me love letters or memories or something you think would brighten my day, that's what I need most. Belief that miracles exist and I could be one. Hope that somehow I can still beat this.

If you would like to help financially, I've set up this GoFundMe to support us while my husband takes a career intermission to be with me. We can also receive mail here at the hospital. Our address is:

Kelsey & Charles Apt

8901 Rockville Pike

General Delivery

Bethesda, MD 20884

And if you would like to visit me or are in or around the DC area please come. We have a spare room and welcome visitors while I'm here going through weekly chemotherapy. We'll rescan around Christmas and see where to go from there. Just taking it one day at a time right now. If you reach out, I can't promise I'll respond, but know I see the messages and will be receiving that love intentionally. Feel free to share if you feel so compelled.

Please pray for me that this isn't my last birthday.