Help Stacy Kick Cancer's Ass
Stacy spent her birthday at the hospital this year, but luckily all the nurses are so loving and wonderful!
It's been really difficult for me to talk about this, as it is such heavy news.
On October 31st, 2018, Stacy, my best friend of 24 years was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.
When I rushed home to see her after she had gotten off the phone with her doctor, she told me that she wanted to move forward with treatment in Los Angeles, rather than going back to San Jose, where her family is. Since that day, we have spent every week at the hospital, and everything has gone at a hundred miles per hour.
Some of the most difficult moments came immediately following the diagnosis, because so many decisions needed to be made quickly. The same day we were informed of her options for surgery, the doctor also gave us her recommendations and the projected timeline for her treatment. Because she is still in her 20's, the doctor had to suggest 5 months of chemotherapy, followed by 1 month of daily radiation. She also told us of how chemo may impact fertility, and that news was extremely difficult to hear. I took her to a reproductive doctor that same day to do a fertility test to figure out the best course of action during treatment.
I live with Stacy, so I am her primary caregiver. We are lucky that Stacy received all of this awful news during a time where she has health insurance (she has brought up on multiple occasions how truly horrible it must be for those who don't). And I am lucky to have jobs with the flexibility that allows me to take time off to take her to her treatments, and also deeply grateful that we have amazing friends nearby who have been here every step of the way, and friends from afar who have made multiple trips to take her to treatments and provide support.
Stacy only took 3 weeks off work after her lumpectomy surgery, and has been back at work throughout chemo. I have told her that her health (both physical and mental) is her priority, but one of her great worries has been all of the costs incurred through this process. I wanted to launch this campaign to lessen the burden of what I already know to be some pretty hefty bills. Because the news was received in 2018, she has reached the ceiling of her deductible for both 2018 and 2019. The surgery costs and post-surgery adjustments (which will take place after chemo and radiation) will total to above $15,000, and this is on top of random medical bills she's been hit with, along with the fertility testing, and wigs (she began losing her hair in December shortly after beginning chemo; she shaved it off late December).
Stacy has received an incredible outpour of love, and she tells me all the time how amazing the support of her friends and family are. I'm starting this campaign because I know it would be so much help to lighten the load for her. Any amount of donation will be more than appreciated.
Thank you!❤️
(Left: me and stacy when we were in middle school ; right: us in Mexico City three years ago)
