Help Christine Kick Cancer's Butt

Hi, my name is Christine Reed, and I’m humbly reaching out for support as I continue my fight against breast cancer.

My Journey So Far

On January 9, 2025, I was diagnosed with ER-/PR-/HER2-positive breast cancer. In February, I underwent a single mastectomy, which thankfully went well. Unfortunately, due to how my tissue was healing and how it reacted to the chemicals used during surgery, I needed a second procedure on March 18th to repair the area. I’m deeply grateful to say that surgery was also successful.

Now, I’m preparing for the next stage of treatment: chemotherapy, which begins on Friday, April 18h. This will be a rigorous and taxing phase, and I’ll need to take time off work to allow my body to rest and recover. While I’m staying hopeful and focused on healing, the financial impact of this journey is becoming more than I can handle on my own.

A Little About Me

I grew up in Los Angeles and spent over 20 years working in television. From the outside, my life may have looked full—but on the inside, I was overwhelmed, burnt out, and battling addiction. Eventually, I made the decision to step away and start over. That leap of faith brought me to Santa Cruz, and it changed my life.

Here, I found recovery, community, and a renewed sense of purpose. I discovered that I could use my experiences to help others. Today, I’m honored to work as a case manager, supporting women in jail as they navigate recovery from trauma and substance use disorder and begin their journeys back into the community. I’m also earning my Master’s in Social Work to grow into this new calling. And through my recovery community and volunteer work, I stay grounded in service—something that has become central to my life.

I truly love the work I do, but like many who serve in human services, I live paycheck to paycheck. Needing to take time off for three surgeries, dozens of medical appointments—and now for chemotherapy—has made my financial situation incredibly uncertain. I’ve been pushing myself to keep working, but it’s becoming harder to keep going without risking my health.

Why I’m Asking for Help

To be honest, asking for help like this is really difficult for me, but I’ve come to realize that part of healing is letting others support you when you need it. So many of you have already shown me kindness, encouragement, and generosity—and I’m deeply thankful. Your support has carried me through the hardest days, and it’s made it possible for me to get this far.

How Your Support Will Help

Your donations will go directly toward:

• Rent and basic living expenses while I’m unable to work during treatment

• Medical costs not covered by insurance, including co-pays, medications, and follow-up care

• Essential daily needs, so I can focus fully on healing without added stress

Every bit of support, no matter how small, truly helps. And if you’re not in a position to donate, I would be so grateful if you could share my story with others.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here, for caring, and for helping me keep moving forward. Your kindness means more than I can ever express.

With love,

Christine Reed