Help Alyson buy sick days for her cancer treatment

Alyson is a friend and colleague of mine at a public elementary school in Brooklyn, NY. She is an incredibly devoted, caring and brilliant special education teacher who works with special needs kindergarten children. Alyson is a mom to two girls (5 years old and 11 months old). 

Alyson has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. She will need to undergo chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy and then reconstructive surgery. Alyson grew up in Buffalo and then moved to Canandaigua, NY. She just moved to NYC from Canandaigua two years ago and has no family in NYC. She had to borrow 20 sick days in order to take maternity leave. She is not allowed to borrow more than 20 days. If she goes beyond 20 days, she will go off payroll and lose her health insurance. Her family depends upon her for health insurance and for her income. 

She will start chemotherapy in 3 days. She will need to take 50 sick days to cover the time that she will have to take off from work for the chemotherapy treatment and the two operations. I would like to raise enough money for her to purchase those 50 sick days. She is able to "buy" days from the Department of Education for $280 per day. This will allow her to stay on payroll and keep her health insurance.

I deeply understand what Alyson is going through, as I was diagnosed with breast cancer 10 years ago and I also had an 11 month old daughter at the time. I was incredibly fortunate to have the entire school community come to my aid. They enabled me to get enough sick days to not have to work while undergoing chemotherapy and I feel so grateful to now be in a position to help Alyson receive the same aid that I was lucky enough to receive. It is exhausting going through chemotherapy when you have an infant who is still waking up throughout the night. In addition, working in an elementary school exposes the body to so many bacteria and viruses, it is just not safe to be in that environment when one's immune system is so compromised.

If you are able to help Alyson in any way, she would be so forever grateful. If we are able to raise more than the $14,000 she will need to buy her sick days, Alyson will use the additional funds to pay for co-pays, a wig, travel expenses to and from chemotherapy and any other additional medical expenses she may incur.

Thank you so much and best wishes to you all,

Victoria Lavington