Hi my name is Jøna Maaryn. My best friend Maya's Velesko's daughter, Lily Garner has been diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma and really needs our help. I have put together this fundraiser on behalf of Lily and her family.

I sadly write this on Lily's 21st birthday. It is very hard to believe someone so young and whom I love so much is going through something so heavy. Lily is such a strong and beautiful person that I have come to know through her wonderful mother Maya over the past few years. She is a healer, a helper, a selfless nurturer; Someone who puts her whole heart and soul into healing others through her diligent practice of massage therapy and helping her mother with their beautiful restaurant Superette, in which she provides care and high quality service to the community/guests of Gainesville, FL. In addition, Lily is truly a kind, genuine and loving sister, daughter and friend to all; this is why she needs her community now more than ever.

Lily was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma after some months of symptoms which were either misdiagnosed or downgraded by health care practitioners. After hearing a friend's account of her own symptoms before being diagnosed with cancer, Lily drove herself to the ER. After several scans and biopsies later, the results were confirmed just before her 21st birthday by University of Florida Shands Oncology.

Though she has been staged as 2A, her case is presenting atypically enough to warrant her oncologist and other physicians on her care team to support a second opinion. She is currently seeking this opinion from Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, the leading experts in cancer care, research and technology.

Once again, I am here asking for your help. Like so many Americans, Lily is underinsured. The cost of treatment plus the out of network second opinion is astronomical. She will also be cutting back on work for the next 6+ months in order to focus on her healing, even though she insists on continuing with her plan to audit two online classes that are preparing her for her long-desired attendance at the Santa Fe College School of Nursing.

Funds received will be used to offset medical bills and medication, help to pay for complementary care like mental health counseling, massage therapy, and acupuncture, in addition to help with living expenses like car payments, insurance, phone bills, and school expenses like books.

We would all be so grateful if you would consider supporting Lily in this way. If you are able to contribute via a donation, sharing this page, or even in kind offers of meal preparation, counseling, or holistic care—it would mean the world to Lily and her family. Any support will be gratefully received and allow Lily to focus on healing which is the most important thing for her and her family right now.

Thank you for taking the time to read this far.

With sincere and profound gratitude,

Jøna & Lily's Family