If you know Stella, you know she is the person people turn to when things feel impossible.
She is a giver. A systems thinker. The one who can sit with a gnarly dilemma and, with care and precision, offer a way through. She doesn’t force solutions—she places the key in your hand and trusts you to use it when you’re ready.
Stella Hughes is also a close family friend who has always brought warmth and kindness to those around her. She has shaped lives, strengthened communities, and held space for those most vulnerable with dignity and intention. As a Black woman navigating complex systems, she has done the quiet, skillful work of creating structural change—while remaining deeply present to the people in front of her.
She is a mother to her son Chaasahn, a grandmother to three grown grandchildren, and a lover of dogs.
The Diagnosis
Over the past six months, Stella has been moving from appointment to appointment, doing everything asked of her to understand what was happening in her body.
Why was she unsteady on her feet?
Why couldn’t she catch her breath?
Why was her energy disappearing?
Why had she lost interest in eating?
Recently, Stella received the devastating news that she has stage IV pancreatic cancer. This diagnosis has exponentially increased what is required of her each day and brought an urgent need to prioritize treatment and care.
The Treatment Plan
Stella has now begun chemotherapy every other Monday. The days that follow leave her depleted, limiting her ability to work and sustain her usual income.
The treatment ahead is rigorous. And this is a moment where support can make a meaningful, immediate difference.
What we are raising and why
We are working to raise $40,000 before the start of summer. This will allow Stella to focus on her care and recovery, rather than the stress of mortgage payments, household maintenance, groceries, and other essential expenses.
The costs of cancer care are overwhelming. Every dollar raised will go directly toward Stella’s medical bills, therapies, and living expenses—helping her access the care she deserves and sustain her strength during this time.
Your support will help create the conditions for stability—so that Stella can direct her energy toward treatment, rest, and living each day as fully as possible.
A small group of Stella’s family and close friends will work directly with her to ensure that funds are allocated responsibly and used to cover essential needs, including:
Medical expenses not fully covered by insurance
Mortgage and utilities
Groceries and nutritional support
Home care and cleaning support to maintain a low-infection environment
Transportation to and from medical appointments
How you can help
Anyone can contribute—whether you have known Stella for decades or are just learning about her now.
Make a financial contribution of any size
⏩Share this campaign with your networks
Offer practical support if you are part of her local community
Stella has always been there for others, offering a helping hand and a listening ear. Now, as she faces this moment, we are rallying around her to show that she is not alone.
Stella’s Orientation
Stella is living in the present moment of each day.
She has not taken on the language of death or dying. Instead, she is doing what she has always done—showing up with courage and clarity, placing one foot in front of the other, tending to what is hers to carry.
She is following her doctors’ guidance. She is doing her part.
And now, our part.
The conditions that allow her to live with steadiness, care, and dignity in this moment—those are in our hands.
This is an opportunity to return, in whatever way we can, the care Stella has given so many.
Thank you for donating, sharing, and surrounding Stella with the support she has so generously offered to others. Your care makes a real difference, and we are deeply grateful.
Stay tuned for updates!