For those of you who do not know yet, my youngest sister, Gráinne, was diagnosed with diffuse large B cell Non-Hodgkins lymphoma last Friday. DLBCL is an aggressive blood cancer affecting the lymphatic system, and is the most common type of lymphoma in the US, although half of the patients with it are over the age of 60. This past week she underwent more testing, including a bone marrow biopsy yesterday and also got an implanted port. She is expected to undergo 6 rounds (18 weeks) of chemotherapy. Her oncologist is optimistic that her cancer is treatable and generally responds well to chemo. She will be starting inpatient chemo but will hopefully be able to complete the majority of it as an outpatient, assuming that her kidneys and organs are functioning well.

Gráinne was planning to move to Maine this week to live with her three sisters for the summer and was looking forward to starting a new job at the end of this month. She will be staying in CT for at least the next six months. I will be moving to my mom's as well to help her through treatment. She is so grateful for all the love and support she has received so far. This has been so scary for our family, but we feel lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing people. Gráinne is strong and resilient, and she will get through this.

As we all know, cancer treatment is expensive, and we don't yet know just how much treatment costs will be (although insurance has told us they only cover oral chemo, wtf is that??) She will also have to be out of work for the next several months. If you are able to give, any financial support is so appreciated and will go directly toward medical bills and living expenses. People have also asked if they can send care packages as well. I am happy to share an address if you would like to send her some extra love to get through this difficult chapter. Pictures of your animals and funny memes are also always greatly appreciated :)

Thank you so much for all the love!