Jyoti's healing from breast cancer continues

My dearest AWESOME support network,
 
This is a hard ask for me to make.  I have been thinking of starting a Go Fund Me campaign for the last year, but some combination of procrastination and simply not having the energy to do it when I was in the midst of treatment has delayed things.  Now, it feels more like a survivorship campaign.  Often people ask me if I’m “done with everything” or “cancer free,” etc.  These are common misunderstandings that I had before my breast cancer journey too.  But none of my doctors really use these terms.  They never really claim that you have beaten cancer.  Instead, your life is forever changed and you will be monitored and tested often for recurrence for the rest of your life.  My particular cancer treatment requires anti-hormone treatments in the form of a daily pill and monthly shot for at least the next 10 years and possibly another surgery to remove my ovaries.  These are strong therapies and I have been working very hard to counter the side effects to return to and maintain a high quality of life.  But, while I’m extremely grateful to have access to modern medical science which is great at fighting disease, unfortunately our healthcare system doesn’t cover many of the things that I have found to help bring me back to health. It has been costly and is an ongoing expense.  
 
To date, we have spent $15,800 out of pocket on my healthcare expenses. This cost includes payments for surgery, chemo, radiation, doctor visits, prescriptions, hormone and genetic testing, and supplements not covered by insurance.  Going forward, we had estimated my healthcare expenses to be about $500/month, not including our share of my upcoming surgery in December or any future surgeries.  Just this week, however, I found out that my monthly Lupron shots to shut down my ovaries are super expensive!  Our responsibility after insurance comes to about $450 per shot or $450/month.  Honestly, I am still processing this news.  I’m not ready to cut out my ovaries just yet, but I understand better why many women choose to do so after adjusting to several months of Lupron shots.  I can’t imagine paying $450/month for a shot for 10 years! 
 
Deep breath.  This is a perfect example.  Just when I start to feel comfortable with the way things are going, the current plan, the “new normal,” something changes and I am forced again to surrender and let go of fear.  I’m still in the middle of this one, but I have so much faith that things will work out.  They always do and I know I have the most incredible community of love and support!
 
We understand that not all of you will be able to make a contribution, but people have asked for further ways to help, and with these unexpected additional expenses, now is the time for us to raise funds.  So for those of you who wanted to do more and weren’t able, here’s another opportunity.  People have helped us in so many different ways and we are extremely grateful for all of it!  If financial assistance is your way of showing support, we deeply appreciate the help with this burden.  No amount is too small.  If you would like to bypass GoFundMe and donate to us directly, please reach out directly.

Once again, thank you!  We appreciate all of you!
Love, 
Jyoti, Tim, Bodhi and Anya


The breakdown of our $30,000 fundraising goal is as follows:

$15,800 healthcare expenses to date (September 2018 – October 2019)

$ 4,200 estimated costs for surgery, Lupron shots and other healthcare expenses through the end of 2019

$10,000 estimated costs for 2020 for Lupron shots and other monthly healthcare expenses


P.S. Please feel free to share our campaign with your friends and family via email and social media.