Theresa's Journey to Being Cancer Free by 2023
Donation protected
LONG STORY SHORT
Theresa was diagnosed with breast cancer after a slew of shitty months that have made it impossible to save money for a down payment on a car. And considering she starts chemotherapy in the distant burbs in two weeks, we need that car yesterday to make sure she can stay safe.
WHO WE ARE
Hello, hello! My name is Theresa Berg, I'm 34, live in Chicago, and I hate writing about myself. But here we fucking are. If you can't tell by the title, I got the big bad news that cancer decided to loaf up in my boob and call it home. I'm working to evict him, but I need help. And I will admit that it is excruciating to say I can't do it all on my own anymore. It feels close to defeat. But, I know that I will need all the help I can get from you to defeat cancer this year.
(I like to take photos with my cats)
Hi! My name is Jillian Leff and I am Theresa's partner of nearly two years. I'm the Samwise to her Frodo throughout all this. Fun fact: I am ALSO quite independent and hate asking for help/find it a very vulnerable thing to do. Clearly Theresa and I were meant for each other. But, truthfully, we're going to need help to get through this rough patch.
(I like to trap Jillian in plastic wrap when I'm bored)
(Just us being cute together)
WHAT HAPPENED
Here's a quick rundown of how I discovered I have breast cancer:
- May 16 — Noticed a lump in the shower, assumed it was a cyst
- May 17 — Emailed doctor thinking it was no big deal, she schedules me for an appointment on the next day
- May 18 — Meet with doctor where she recommends a mammogram and ultrasound, I think nothing of it
- May 19 — Receive mammogram and ultrasound, radiologist recommends I get a biopsy because the test is inconclusive
- May 20 — Receive follow up message through my hospital's patient portal to see my test results gave me a ACR BI-RADS score of 5. Which meant that I had a >95% chance of having breast cancer.
- May 21 — Distract myself
- May 22 — Breathe and distract myself
- May 23 — Biopsy is performed. I cry because I'm getting tested for cancer but one of the nurses thinks it's the pain of the test. I say, "no, I my BI-RADS score is 5". Her eyes go wide, and she says "oh" with a brief enough pause to let me know it's definitely not good.
- May 24 — Receive a phone call to confirm I have Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.
- May 25 — Distract myself while I wait to meet with my surgical oncologist.
- May 26 — Meet with my surgical oncologist who stages my cancer at 1B. This basically means it has likely already spread to my lymph nodes, but it may be too small to detect. I also find out that I have triple-negative breast cancer, which means it's more aggressive and has fewer treatment options. Later in the day, I meet with my medical oncologist, who lays out the plan for the next five months.
(Boo, cancer sucks)
(Lesson learned, always touch your boobies)
WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN
A lot. And quickly. This is why your help is so important.
In the next two weeks, I will be getting:
- An MRI of my boobies and lymph nodes to determine if it has spread further than just my breast tissue
- A heart ultrasound to get a baseline for the functioning of my heart (I'll get to why this is important further down)
- A port (basically a little device that a needle can be jabbed into for easy intravenous access) placed under the skin of my chest for chemotherapy as the medication is too harsh for typical IV access in your arm, etc
- A dental check-up to make sure my teeth are up to the challenge of chemotherapy
- Educational sessions to learn about my cancer and treatment
- Genetic testing, as I am quite young to have an aggressive form of breast cancer show up
- Lots of blood tests
After that, for five months, I will be receiving the following chemotherapy:
- Adriamycin and Cytoxan every two weeks for a total of four doses (a total of eight weeks)
- Prior to each chemotherapy appointment, I will need to get blood drawn to make sure I'm healthy enough to receive the medication
- After each of the appointments for the medication mentioned above, I will need to receive an injection of Neulasta to increase my white blood count
- In regard to the heart ultrasound, this is necessary as Adriamycin and Cytoxan increase the risk for heart disease and heart failure (fortunately, I will be put on a medication to mitigate this risk, and my heart function will be monitored throughout this process)
- I will experience hair loss on this medication, as well as the ever so popular nausea
- After the above eight weeks, I will switch to Taxol every week for 12 weeks
- I will fortunately not need the Neulasta at this point, and supposedly, I will not be nauseous (fingers super crossed)
If my scans are clear after the five months of chemotherapy, I will then be chopping both my boobs off with a lymph node dissection to double-check for cancer spreading.
HOW WE WILL USE YOUR HELP
Simply put, we need help affording a down payment for a car and all the other financial burdens that come with having cancer. Because I have changed jobs this year, I will be maxing out two different insurance policies for a grand total of over $11,000 out of pocket. Great timing.
It's been hard to get ahead on financials due to a variety of factors in my life. Each time I am able to save up for a down payment on a car, something else comes along and needs that money more, like my cat Faraday catching COVID (of all the things) in February and unfortunately passing away in March.
So, having any financial help makes getting a car that much quicker, and right now, time is of the essence. It only takes half a dozen uber trips back and forth from Chicago to the nearby suburbs before I am spending the equivalent of a car payment. And that's not to mention needing an uber for any other reason. Or any ubers Jillian may need. So, to do the math for you, three uber trips to medical appointments in one month is the equivalent of a single car payment. And I will be going to a lot more than three appointments each month.
We have been working towards securing a car since I was hospitalized for two weeks in June of last year. I underwent a bowel resection in order to fix a symptom of my acute Crohn's flare. And, while I was under the influence of some pretty strong meds, Jillian was paying more in uber rides than her rent for the month just to come see a drugged up me and take care of my sick cat (oh yeah, did I mention my cat needed pills every 12 hours because he couldn't pee?).
(Always trying to be positive despite the circumstance I'm in)
Navigating the complexities of a chronic illness without a car has been a struggle, to say the least. And now I have cancer on top of Crohn's. Being able to have safe, secure transportation via our own car during this incredibly stressful and vulnerable time would bring us unspeakable amounts of relief. We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep me safe and healthy during chemotherapy.
HOW THIS WILL CHANGE OUR LIVES
I will be able to breathe more easily, knowing I am able to minimize my risks of getting COVID and other illnesses while my immune system is knocked out. We will be able to visit friends and family whenever we need, which will be instrumental in my healing journey. I expect hell and I need a lot of help to get through it. We will also be able to save money in ways we have not been able to for such a long time.
HOW WE WILL GIVE BACK
I will write out a thank you postcard with a doodle that may or may not contain stickers and/or cats. You can send me a DM with a screenshot of the email confirmation of a donation (you can block out any details you don't want to share) with your address, and I will send one your way! The last thing I want anyone to feel is that your help goes out into the void and is not appreciated or really cherished. I will be indebted to anyone who helps and this gesture is the most I can do at this time. I can't express how much it will mean to us to receive this help.
Words can't describe how much your donation, sharing of this gofundme, or sending good vibes our way means to me.
Love, Theresa & Jillian
Co-organizers (2)
Theresa Berg
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Jillian Leffe
Co-organizer