Last Friday, March 20th, my sister Sam was working her usual 12-hour shift as a surgical operating room nurse when her life changed in an instant. In the middle of her shift, she suddenly experienced three seizures and began struggling to find her words. I received a call from the hospital and rushed to the ER, where she had already undergone a CT scan and was waiting for answers that would forever change our lives.

The scan revealed a large mass in the left temporal lobe of her brain—so significant that it was causing a shift across the midline. She was immediately admitted to the Neuro ICU, where she spent the next five days undergoing further testing, including a brain biopsy. The preliminary biopsy results came back abnormal, confirming that the mass is brain cancer. We are currently waiting on the full results, which will determine the exact type and grade of the tumor and guide her treatment plan.

While we wait for those answers to fully form a treatment plan, her medical team anticipates that Sam will need a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation. This will be a long and difficult road, but one we are determined to face together so she can have the best chance at returning to the life she has worked so hard to build.

Sam has spent her career caring for others in their most vulnerable moments. She is the one who shows up, who gives, and who puts others first. Asking for help does not come easily to her—but right now, she needs it.

The road ahead will bring significant financial strain, with mounting medical bills from hospital stays, procedures, treatments, and medications. On top of that, Sam will be out of work for an unknown amount of time and unable to drive for at least six months.

Our hope in creating this GoFundMe is to help ease that burden, so Sam can focus fully on what matters most—healing, recovery, and fighting this with everything she has.

Any support, whether through a donation or simply sharing her story, means more than we can put into words. Thank you for standing with Sam during this incredibly difficult time. ❤️