I am Shirlee Smith. The picture is of my daughter Heather Smith and her two children. My nephew Jesse has helped me to create a Go Fund Me page to assist Heather financially once she begins her cancer treatment.

About a month ago, Heather was intially diagnosed with stage II ductal carcinoma breast cancer. A week later she was experiencing extreme back pain. She went to the ER and it was discovered that her cancer had spread. Her oncologist, sent her in for a scan and they discovered lesions on her spine and humerus. Her oncologist had an additional CT scan with contrast to rule out any organ involvement. On 8/13/2025 she received a diagnosis that there is hepatic metastasis (liver cancer) and multifocal miliary nodules throughout her chest (her lung). Her cancer is now stage IV.

Heather has been studying to receive her Bachelor's degree in business in March of 2026 and also working part-time to support herself and her children, but she has been without medical insurance for years.

She has applied and was told it could take up to 6 months before any SSI could kick in. She has been moved up the list to receive Medicaid soon; however as of yet, she has not received it. Her oncologist plans on starting her on chemotherapy immediately, but until funds kick in, these expenses will be out of pocket.

She needs help so she can pay for some expenses from taking time off from her job and paying medical expenses that she will incur now, and the ones that will not be covered even with Medicaid in the future.

My family is truly thankful for any help you provide financially and especially for all of your prayers. I appreciate everyone taking the time to read about Heather's cancer journey thus far, and I will keep you posted as things progress.

Please pass this link on to any and all friends who might be interested in helping. No amount is too small. Every little bit will help!

God Bless