Hi, my name is Saida Mendoza.

In April 2025, I received the news I never wanted to hear again: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
This is my second cancer diagnosis. Back in 2018, I was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in my right ovary. I fought and beat it, and have been cancer-free until now.

Hearing “leukemia” again turned my world upside down. I’ve already completed two rounds of chemotherapy, with more ahead, and I’ll also undergo a stem cell transplant. That means long hospital stays, constant appointments, and a long road to recovery.

I’ve been on Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) for the past two months, but those benefits are now running out. I’ve returned to work temporarily to try to save the last few PFML weeks I have left - about three weeks - but once those are used up, I’ll be without any income from my job. I’m saving those weeks for my transplant in August.

I’m devastated to learn I might not be able to return to work immediately after the transplant in August. The doctors said that after one month staying at the hospital for the transplant, I wouldn’t be able to work for another 3 months. I would be dealing with fatigue and a severely compromised immune system. The immune system will have to rebuild itself all over again.

I’m a PIP provider (Parents Infant Program) for Deaf and Hard of Hearing kiddos ages 0-3. I love this job so much. I’m truly enjoying working with families and babies. I am Deaf, and I love watching DHH babies learning sign language while working with them. I cannot be around children while the immune system is rebuilding.

I’m reaching out to ask for your help. Any donation, no matter the size, will go directly toward medical bills, medications, travel costs to and from the hospital, and everyday living expenses during this time. If you can’t donate, simply sharing this page would mean the world to me.

From the bottom of my heart; thank you for reading, supporting, and standing beside me in this fight.