Support Satina's Battle Against Breast Cancer

Hey Ya'll, it's me, Satina! I know many of you haven't heard from me in quite a while let me explain why...

Do you know the saying “when it rains, it pours”? Well, life has been hitting pretty hard for a while now but this last year has slapped that quote onto a LARGE-BOLD-NEON-FLASHING SIGN at the center of my universe!

Here’s how my need for help began…

One year ago, I found out I had breast cancer! The news hit me extraordinarily hard because I had already fought and won a battle against thyroid cancer in 2020. I recently retired and thus lost half of my income. So, we decided to move to NC rather than CA (near my family) to be able to afford the cost of living. We’d just purchased a house, co-signed on a car for our oldest of 4 kids, and paid for her to start college. Things were rough for my household, but we were managing as we started looking for jobs that still have not come despite our military experience and backgrounds.

This is where that neon sign starts to glow…

Then bad news started hitting… we thought the 19-year-old who just started college would remain home for a while longer. Instead, she decided she was ready to jump headfirst into life and went online to find her first boyfriend. That “new influence” resulted in her “experiencing life in all the wrong ways”, so we had to kick her out and take away/refinance the car we’d co-signed for. As a result, the sweet girl I raised is someone completely different who barely speaks to me. While my heart was breaking from the mess with my daughter, I found a lump in my breast. Soon after it was confirmed news of cancer! The timing couldn’t be worse because our family was in transition for healthcare insurance due to retirement. That meant we had to pay substantial amounts of the costs for the double mastectomy, infusions, chemotherapy, and plastic surgery reconstruction. It resulted in enough out-of-pocket expenses to pay double the catastrophic cap that our insurance ceiling is supposed to set. We were sliding into a black water hole.

Here is where that neon sign grew large and started flashing…

Just as we were holding straws to breathe (but surviving with the hope that things would turn around soon), we got notified that we owe the IRS $15K from an error some years back! With nothing left and no job offers, we did what most people do...we started using our credit to pay for living expenses and bills. Yup, you guessed it, they are now maxed out. I can’t work, but I’m still looking, and occasionally I drive Lyft if I have the strength. My husband landed a very modest paying job that is helping us squeak by. But it’s not enough.

The final straw that's breaking the camel’s back…

In true nature of “Murphy’s Law,” I just found out that my reconstructive surgery resulted in a complication called Capsular Contracture. It’s an extremely painful condition where too much scar tissue formed on the implants, causing the breasts to become misshapen, harden, and even pull toward the armpits. It’s a condition that will only get worse as time goes on without surgical correction. So I have two options, cut off by breasts permanently or have corrective surgery and a then opt for a new physical therapy treatment that provides a >90% success rate for eliminating reoccurrence of capsular contractures. The solution seems obvious but of course, since it's a new treatment, insurance will not pay for the physical therapy and once again we have to pay out-of-pocket!

Listen, I know all of this is just life’s “hard times” hitting us, which is normal; everyone experiences it at some point. If I had any other options, I would not be searching for help. But I’ve used up everything we have. All our savings are gone, I’ve tried everything from personal loans to new lines of credit, and I don’t have anyone in my life who is "able to help". To make matters worse, the chemo kicked me into menopause, and a major side effect that the lack of estrogen is having on me is the deterioration of my mental health. As I mentioned, I am not near my family (even a supportive phone call is a three hour difference so everyone is still grinding daily life when my beacon lights up)! Unfortunately I’ve found ZERO friends here but I’m pushing forward with my chin up and I’m trying to stay optimistic!

The truth is, it’s hard enough to have cancer, but trying to battle it without support while the hits keep coming is taking a toll!!. Despite going to counseling/support groups and looking for solutions, my heart is broken, my body is broken, and my funds are broken. So, my sister suggested I give this a try and honestly, it's my last resort. I do need a little help to get my next surgery and follow-on treatment!

I never thought that after retirement, when things are supposed to be settling down, that life would start handing me the bottom...but that’s life! It's hard to swallow pride and remember that sometimes resiliency requires a helping hand. But I'm asking anyway! Thank you for taking the time to read this, and anything that you can do to help me is GREATLY APPRECIATED!