Imagine losing both your husband and your adult daughter to cancer and then having to fight the same battle yourself. Our acupuncture colleague Lupine Wread (2008 graduate of Five Branches University) was diagnosed with Stage 3 Rectal Cancer in the Spring of 2025. She has been on chemo for 6 months. She now faces 6 weeks of strong daily pelvic radiation. After the radiation she may require surgery to remove any remaining tumor. She needs to find and stay at a (dog friendly) AirBnb near the hospital and is out of work and running out of finances. She has explained to me she'd just like to outlive her meager savings and not lose her home. Being self employed is hard enough but going through a costly and daunting medical battle makes it that much harder. Lupine wants to continue for her other children and grandchildren. Worrying less about finances would help so very much. Any amount would be greatly appreciated.

Other way to help: if you know of or have an affordable place to stay (with a dog) during treatment in Berkeley/Emeryville near Alta Bates / Sutter hospital for the 6 weeks of radiation or can help fund that, it would take a load off of Lupine.

More backstory: Lupine was a "back to lander" in California with 3 children. Her daughter Nina was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 10 years old. Her husband passed from Leukemia when the children were 21, 17, and 13.

She returned to school at a later age to fulfill a lifetime dream of becoming an acupuncturist and was the oldest student in her graduating class of 2008. She started a successful practice in 2009.

Her daughter Nina was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30. Lupine lived with her and helped support her through her treatment from 2016-2020 when she passed.

As you can imagine she was crushed by grief and had to fight to survive the loss. She explained that she got her German Shepherd puppy 4 months after Nina passed to "be forced to live by caring for another being".

Her finances are greatly diminished because caring for her daughter during the years she should have been saving for retirement depleted her savings and limited her ability to work.

She plans to come through treatment for her son and granddaughter and her dog. She'd like to get back to treating her patients. She is strong and brave but has seen too much of cancer and the financial concerns hang over her. Let's see if we can lighten her load. Thanks.