My sister Shirley was recently diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 34.

Shirley is an incredible mother, wife, sister, daughter, cousin, and friend. She is the kind of person who always puts everyone else first — always. She shows up. She carries people. She loves hard. It’s time we change that. It’s time we put Shirley first.

There’s still a lot being figured out between staging, genetics, treatment specifics — but she is about to begin chemotherapy. She will be treated at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, with additional collaboration from Vanderbilt in Nashville. Surgery will likely follow, possibly including a double mastectomy.

It’s going to be a hard road.

Our family has a long history with cancer, and we truly believed the gene had not made its way through our father. This diagnosis took us by surprise. But we are not backing down.

Treatment will require frequent travel between Nashville and Seattle and extended time off work. Tennessee does not offer paid Family Medical Leave, which means she will be out of work without pay for an extended period of time. On top of that are the added expenses insurance doesn’t fully cover — travel, housing, recovery needs, nutrition, and supporting her family while she focuses on healing.

We don’t want her worrying about money. We want her focused on beating this.

If you’re able to give, thank you. If you can’t, prayers, encouragement, and sharing this page mean just as much.

She’s going to fight. And we’re going to stand behind her.