Hello everyone my name is Phillip.

I'm fundraising for my dear friend Roya, who is 35 years old and was just diagnosed in mid September with both breast and ovarian cancer and who will not be able to work for the next year. We are asking our community to help financially support and emotionally uplift her as she approaches a year of chemo and surgeries ahead.

For those of us who know and love Roya, we are blessed with her light and joy in our lives. For those who don’t know her let me introduce you…

Roya is a Iranian- Hispanic emerging choreographer, dancer, and educator. A bold artist that gives both her heart and talent to her community. Her mother was also a dancer and a teacher, and passed down a love of dance that has shaped Roya’s life to this day. Only two years ago her mother passed away from breast cancer and ten years prior, her grandmother.

Because of her genetic predisposition, In early August, Roya insisted on a breast MRI and as a direct result they found a triple negative, stage 1, breast cancer tumor that otherwise would have gone completely undetected. Due to the aggressive nature of the small mass she had a lumpectomy a week later and began preparing for preventive chemotherapy.

As a woman in her 30’s Roya wanted to explore the possibility of freezing her eggs before starting chemo; unfortunately when she went in for the consultation, she was utterly blindsided by finding out that in addition to her breast cancer, she also has stage 3 ovarian cancer.

Roya had mistakenly been cleared by her previous OBGYN, 7 weeks prior. When the genetic testing came back it surprisingly revealed that she has the BRCA 1 mutation. Her mother had been tested twice for BRCA mutations and both tests were negative. All of Roya’s prior healthcare providers told her a BRCA test was unnecessary or would prove to be negative.

Today:

This news has been devastating and overwhelming on many levels, but Roya is strong and determined to beat this. After meetings and multiple tests her doctors her team believe that her case is treatable and have devised an extensive 10 - 12 month treatment plan that includes chemotherapy plus two invasive surgeries followed by more chemotherapy. There is definitely a long road ahead but fortunately, Roya managed to find both cancers within a small window where it is possible for both of them to be effectively treated.

Another silver lining is that her diagnosis as a BRCA1 carrier means that her body will respond significantly well to treatments and that there are several targeted drugs to make sure that she can stay healthy for as long as possible. That being said, it is vital to her health and future that she receives treatment in New York City with the top oncologists and in the epicenter where the research is being done.

Finances:

Her doctors recommend she take a temporary leave from her full-time position as the Director of The School at Peridance. She will be cutting back on hours and working remotely when possible.

Donated funds will help provide for medical costs not covered by her insurance provider (ie. appointments, procedures, and medications), transportation to and from chemotherapy and other medical appointments, therapy fees, healthy foods and living expenses while she's unable to work full time.

Roya is determined to overcome Cancer and continue her life’s mission of making art, educating youth, and sharing with her community. She has been invited and hopes to show her new choreographic work as a part of LA dance festival in January 2023.

Please donate to help this incredible woman.