Support our sweet April Durbin's Fight Against Cancer

Update 3/12/25: Wanted to share a brief update. April’s surgery on Monday went well according to the surgeons. The first day of recovery was overwhelmingly however April did amazing. She is recovery across the street from the hospital. Her activity is incredibly limited however is doing so well with the movement that is allowed and we are so proud of her. There are several doctor visits to monitor her healing over the next couple weeks. This surgery is known to greatly increase her ability to treat/fight this cancer. The next three months will be a journey with many unknowns however April is committed to doing all she can to be cancer free. Please keep her in your prayers and donate or share however you are able. Thank you so much!

Original Post 3/9: Our sweet, loving, selfless April Durbin undergoes a double mastectomy tomorrow 3/10/25 as a necessary part of her treatment for recently diagnosed cancer and will have about 8 weeks of recovery.

In addition to the medical costs not covered by insurance, there is loss of income for both her and her devoted husband Michael that will be by her side every step of this tumultuous journey. As we spoke of that path they shared that they didn’t want to burden anyone with their needs as they have been supported so well in the past…I explained that those that can and desire to help need to know how they can help. They gave me permission to create this on their behalf. I can’t imagine having the stress of financial hurdles and burdens while navigating her fight with cancer. If you can help please do or at least share the ability to support with others that may be able to help.

Thank you in advance for your prayers and support.

Here is the heartfelt story Michael shared publicly letting their loving sphere know she had been diagnosed:

Please keep my beautiful wife April Durbin in your prayers! I know most people don’t read the long posts all the way through, so I’m going to just get straight to the point. For those that don’t know, April lost her dad in January. On the same day that he died, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and will be having a double mastectomy on Monday. We are grateful for the friends and family who have helped to hold us together over the last few weeks, and have no doubt that there will be an army praying her through the surgeries, and months of recovery ahead. Please leave her a message here in the comments so she can come back and see the love and support from everyone when she needs it!

For those who want to help, there will be another post in the coming days with info on that. If you would like to know the long story of how this all unfolded, continue reading below.

April went in for a routine doctor appointment in December. Since she just turned 40, her doctor said it was time for her first mammogram. That mammogram discovered a “spot” that they reassured her was probably nothing to be worried about. Further tests were scheduled to know for sure, and on New Year’s Eve she went in for an MRI and ultrasound. These scans revealed that the spot was likely cancer. A biopsy was taken the following week and we were told to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

I don’t know how you “prepare” for a possible (which now felt like probable) breast cancer diagnosis, but we weren’t really able to give it our full attention at the time anyway, as her dad was having significant health problems of his own. So we decided to try not worry about the biopsy until we had the results, and to focus all of our attention on dad. He was struggling to recover from surgery. After a few days, his doctors said they had done all they could for him, and recommended that he be placed on hospice. April and her brother Jason were now faced with making the hardest decision of their lives.

After starting hospice care, we only had two days with dad before he passed. Wednesday he was able to communicate with us, and we talked to him throughout the day. Thursday while sitting by his bedside at the hospital, we got a phone call from Aprils doctor telling us that the biopsy results were in. They confirmed our worst fear. That the little spot we “probably didn’t need to worry about” was cancer, and that her best chances of beating it would be a double mastectomy. It felt like all the air was sucked out of the room! We took a few moments to process the news, and then went for a drive to try and keep the negative energy away from her dad.

Somehow we managed to get parked on the side of the road before breaking down into tears. LOTS of tears. Once we caught our breath, we prayed together and decided to keep her diagnosis private in order to be fully present with dad. The last thing she wanted was for the family to be focused on her during her dad’s last moments. So we dried our eyes and went back to the hospital, carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders as we walked in. It was surreal seeing April standing in a room full of people who love her so much, and not be able to tell them how bad she needed them. But we stuck to the plan and stayed focused on dad.

When he passed away later that night, April told me in the hallway outside his room, that as shattered as her heart was over losing him, she was so grateful that she would never have to see the hurt on his face when she told him she had cancer. That she felt immense sadness, mixed with the peace of knowing he would never have to watch his baby girl face the battle that is coming. I was reminded of the heartache I felt when I lost my own father in 2010, and the peace I have now looking back, knowing he wasn’t here when Mikey died. It took me YEARS and LOTS of therapy to get to that place, but April somehow recognized it in real time. I will forever be impressed with how she has handled all of this!

After her dad’s funeral last weekend, we sat down with the family and told them of her diagnosis, and impending surgery. They have all been there for her through losing her dad, but she was FINALLY able to feel the love and support she has so desperately needed in regards to her diagnosis. Many of them asked why she kept it secret for so long. She explained that her daddy deserved to have their full attention at the end of his life, and she didn’t feel right taking the focus off of him until we laid him to rest with grandpa.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything in my life more beautifully heartbreaking than watching her carry the weight of her grief, and the secret of her cancer at the same time. She did it so gracefully out of the love and respect she has for her dad! Those that know her are not surprised by this in the least, as this is a true testament of who she is! Selfless. Loving. Compassionate. Kind. Devoted. Loyal. April Durbin is the best parts of all of us, and she’s going to get through this! She’s scared, but she’s strong! She’s confused, but she’s confident! It’s not going to be easy, but we know she’s going to get through it with the support of our friends and family. Thank you for reading this, and for keeping us in your prayers!