Our Warrior, Stephanie

Stephanie has been a part of Align since nearly the very beginning. She walked through our doors for her first class on February 12th and shared a small piece of the battle she had already been fighting. From that day forward, she became our warrior.

Stephanie embodies everything we hope Align can be a home for. She is the epitome of bravery and strength, not only physically and mentally, but in her unwavering faith. Through treatments, surgeries, difficult news, and unimaginable challenges, she continued to walk through our doors with strength, hope, and a heart that has touched every one of us.

Stephanie is the heart of Align. She is so much more than a member of our community. She is our friend, our inspiration, and someone who has shown us what it truly means to keep moving forward in faith.

Now, as Stephanie and her family face the most difficult chapter of her journey, we have the opportunity to pour some of that love back into her. We are raising funds to help ease the financial weight that nearly two years of fighting cancer, medical expenses, and being unable to work have created, allowing Stephanie to focus on what matters most: her family, her faith, and living each day fully.

Below, Stephanie shares her journey in her own words. We hope you’ll take a moment to read her story, pray for her and her family, share this page, and, if you are able, help us support our warrior.

Stephanie's Story

It stems back to July 2024, when I was initially diagnosed with colorectal cancer, stage 3. I had to get lots of labs, a mediport for chemo, multiple scans, etc. I started missing work, something I had boasted I did not do, miss work or ever get sick. Became familiar with FMLA and short-term disability.

August 2024, we started an oral chemo and 30 days of radiation to shrink the tumor so when I was able to go have the bowel resection, I would not end up with a permanent colostomy. Following each radiation treatment, I would go to work. We still had financial obligations, and it was not my normal in life, work was, everything else was chaos.

After four months of IV chemo, again more missed work, I was able to have the initial surgery February 2025. Your mind says, “Oh well, surgery is over, cancer gone.” But no. I had two of 19 lymph nodes that were positive, so they did genetic testing on my tumor, and I would get special blood draws every 90 days. These genetic testings were rising.

April 2025, the second surgery to remove the temporary colostomy. Again, six weeks out of work, and the bills pour in like water, and the best thing to heal is rest, and you can’t when bills are not getting paid.

After my second genetic test came back extremely elevated, July 2025, my oncologist insisted on an MRI, so it revealed two large, golf-ball-sized tumors in my liver. This means more tests, more surgery, more missed work, and more bills.

There was always a big silver lining in my cancer diagnosis. Almost each time I would announce a surgery or get a poor prognosis report, one of our kids would find out they were pregnant. And that would propel me forward.

August 2025, large surgery, almost 10 days in the hospital and very long recovery. That was three surgeries within six months. October, started chemo again. I had a terrible reaction to the new mix of medications and ended up with a terrible skin rash, resembling cystic acne, which was all over my face and hair. I had to miss work for chemo and the side effects, plus now the oncologist had to set me up with dermatology for the skin reaction.

They agreed the treatment was too caustic and changed the medication. I then had to have 12 more rounds of chemo. This prolonged missed work, with side effects and overall illness.

Spring 2026, the bills continue to pour in now that it’s a new year and deductibles are not met. More tests and scans, and I’m working more, feeling lots better, thinking we are turning the corner on cancer.

But again, I’m wrong. As of June 2026, I find out I have stage 4 mets to my right lung and a large tumor on my spine. Both are considered non-treatable, and we were told 14 months on chemo or 6-12 months with no treatment and presueing palliative care.

I wanted to live my best life, so I took the no-chemo option, and with the pain and coughing, I had to quit my job. I get exhausted just moving. We don’t know how long we have, six months, 12 months, hopefully more. I have three beautiful children, and have been married for 41 beautiful years. They each have full, happy families, my husband continues to work to help with our financial obligations. My pain meds ease the day-to-day of life, but the wolves of the past two years are scratching at our door.

The stress of this with the diagnosis and knowing I can’t work is not healing. Therefore, I am grateful that some wonderful friends here at Align have poured love over me and want to start a fund for me to help defray the high cost of cancer. Even just to pay a few bills and pray over our situation is all I ask.

May God bless you, and as I cling to the hem of His garment, life goes on. Faith will win.