Support Squad your help is needed! #HeatherStrong

This incredible woman is my sister Heather! So many people know and love her, I mean what’s not to love?

Summer 2024 was the worst summer of her life (our lives).

June 4, as she headed to work she got a call from our mom that made her very worried. She went to work that day and told her boss that she needed to be home to care for her mom! June 4 was her last day of work.

Heather went in for a routine surgery on June 14, to have a tubal removal! No more babies for this mama! Well we thought it was routine. The surgery was longer than normal and the doctor told her she found a mass on her ovary and removed it and sent it in for testing. Her doctor told her that she has been doing these surgeries for 26 years and has never seen what she saw.

On Tuesday, June 18, she received a phone call she never wanted to receive. She was diagnosed with High-Grade Papillary Serous Adenocarcinoma, in human terms, ovarian cancer.

Heather and I met her oncologist on Monday, June 24, and learned a lot. Three things we walked out knowing, she was considered stage 2 and she was going to have to have another surgery and she would have to undergo chemo. Surgery was looking to be happening mid July.

Wednesday, June 26, Heather received a call saying that her surgery was scheduled for the following Tuesday, July 2.

Well if you can remember from the beginning of the post, Heather was taking care of our mom, who lived with her. So we had to plan fast.

Mountains were moved, we were shown compassion and we found mom’s new home on Friday, June 28.

Heather went in for surgery on Tuesday, July 2. This was supposed to be an uncomplicated surgery, laparoscopic and 2-3 hours, with the understanding that it may change. Well after 4 hours of waiting, it had changed.

The Dr found cancer as he thought but also discovered it had spread to her upper abdomen, so automatically that means we are dealing with stage 3 ovarian cancer. He had to switch to an open procedure. We spend 4 days in the hospital and she was discharged on Friday, July 5.

Wednesday, July 10 came and Heather got the call you never want to get. “Last night your mom took a turn for the worse.”

Within 2 hours our mom was gone. 1 week and 1 day from Heather’s surgery.

July 27th we celebrated our mom’s life.

August 1st began Heathers chemo treatments, but as her summer had gone, not without complications. Normal treatment couldn’t happen because there was a problem with her port.

Since then she has had another chemo treatment, lost/shaved her hair and another surgery to replace her port.

September 12 will be the start of her next chemo round and the cycles are scheduled to finish on November 21st barring any further complications.

She is a warrior and will not stop fighting! And prognosis looks really good!

However she will be out of work until at least January. And with three boys, trips back and forth to Boston twice every 3 weeks, back to school shopping, Christmas is coming, and she still has to pay rent and bills.

We are asking for any help you could give her!

If you don’t do online donations, you could also help by sending her gift cards for gas, Walmart, or even some local restaurants.

But besides all that continue to lift her up in prayer! You are all appreciated.