Support Samantha's Breast Cancer Journey

In mid-November, Samantha found a lump in her breast. With no family history of cancer, we all assumed that the lab results would come back as a benign breast lump. After a visit with her primary care physician, an ultrasound, and a follow-up ultrasound-guided biopsy, Samantha was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at 23 years old in mid-December.

The treatment plan for Samantha consists of undergoing an aggressive chemotherapy schedule. It will consist of having weekly chemotherapy – eight 21-day cycles (24 weeks/~5.5 months), then undergoing a bilateral (double) mastectomy that will remove both of her breasts and nipples, and then nine 21-day cycles (27 weeks/~6 months) to give her the best odds of preventing cancer from recurring.

Losing both of her breasts and nipples means that she will never be able to breastfeed her future children and will most likely never be able to fully regain sensation in her chest area. On top of this, chemotherapy can stop your ovaries from working. This causes infertility, which can be temporary or permanent. Unfortunately, most insurance plans today do not cover fertility preservation for those going through cancer. Egg freezing can range from $10,000 to $20,000, including medication, doctor visits, and the surgical procedure to remove the eggs. That cost doesn’t even include the yearly storage fee for frozen eggs, which can be up to $800 a year. On top of that, the process of thawing, fertilizing, and implanting the frozen eggs can cost approximately $5,000 per pregnancy attempt, in addition to other costs for prenatal care and childbirth. At the age of 23, these are things that Samantha shouldn’t have to think or worry about. The majority of us assume we will always have the opportunity and chance to become parents, but this is now being taken away from Samantha due to her diagnosis and prognosis.

Additionally, some of the prescribed chemotherapy is not fully covered by Samantha's health insurance. We have applied for a grant that will hopefully cover the majority of the cost of the medicine, Keytruda, through the Merck Patient Assistance Program.

Samantha now has to think about all of the medical and non-medical breast cancer-related costs. Funds raised will help to pay for appointments, chemotherapy, medical expenses, products to keep Samantha comfortable during her cancer journey (chemotherapy neuropathy cold gloves and socks, anti-nausea snacks, head wraps, moisturizer, cold sore mouthwash, etc.), reconstructive procedures, family planning/fertility preservation, and so much more during this difficult time.

This is a challenging journey for a 23-year-old to go through, but as many of you know, Samantha is resilient and has an amazing, supportive community to support her through this time.

If you are able to donate or share this fundraiser, that would be a great help to reduce the financial burden that will follow.

If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing this on social media, sending cancer resources or grants that you know of, or sending Samantha positive thoughts and good energy.