Help Vicki "do this cancer thing"
Donation protected
Dear friends,
Vicki was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in January. She explained the situation most eloquently and in her own Vickiesque terms in a social media post on February 26, 2017:
"...Because of a number of things about the tumour itself - its unique personality, astrological sign, and a strange penchant for collard greens and knitted afghans - things that only oncologists really understand - starting this coming week, I will be spending four months doing chemo every two weeks (so not giving my body time to really recover enough to create the important infection fighting blood cells in between rounds). After that, I will have several weeks of radiation treatments. ...So now, I not only just had to bail on my existing three jobs this past Thursday afternoon, when I got the news, but I had to also turn down future work AND realize that it was fruitless to apply for any other jobs that begin in the next year. This is the part that is, so far, the worst for me.... quite frightening and stressy as I am a precariously employed contract employee with no work or medical benefits, no savings, and no ... well, nothing. ‘No workee, no payee’. How DO people do this cancer thing with no safety net? Did you know that anti-nausea drugs are NOT covered by BC Med and even worse, nor are the drugs that will stand in for my own body’s immune system for 8 rounds of chemo – and they are outrageously expensive?!?"
Cancer is a tough ‘go’ in the most stable of situations, but for a single mother who is a contract employee, now unemployed due to cancer treatments, it is a nightmare come true. No income, no extended medical benefits and in need of drugs that are not covered by B.C. Medicare. At a cost of $1300+ per cycle for a minimum of 8 cycles, $10,400 would only pay for her medication. There are also the costs of living and having a dignified recovery to think about.
So our goal is to raise $25,000 to support her through the next 9 months of treatment. These funds will support our friend through this uncertain time. Give as much or as little as you can. Every small or big contribution counts. Together we can knit an alternative community-based safety net for Vicki!
Vicki was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in January. She explained the situation most eloquently and in her own Vickiesque terms in a social media post on February 26, 2017:
"...Because of a number of things about the tumour itself - its unique personality, astrological sign, and a strange penchant for collard greens and knitted afghans - things that only oncologists really understand - starting this coming week, I will be spending four months doing chemo every two weeks (so not giving my body time to really recover enough to create the important infection fighting blood cells in between rounds). After that, I will have several weeks of radiation treatments. ...So now, I not only just had to bail on my existing three jobs this past Thursday afternoon, when I got the news, but I had to also turn down future work AND realize that it was fruitless to apply for any other jobs that begin in the next year. This is the part that is, so far, the worst for me.... quite frightening and stressy as I am a precariously employed contract employee with no work or medical benefits, no savings, and no ... well, nothing. ‘No workee, no payee’. How DO people do this cancer thing with no safety net? Did you know that anti-nausea drugs are NOT covered by BC Med and even worse, nor are the drugs that will stand in for my own body’s immune system for 8 rounds of chemo – and they are outrageously expensive?!?"
Cancer is a tough ‘go’ in the most stable of situations, but for a single mother who is a contract employee, now unemployed due to cancer treatments, it is a nightmare come true. No income, no extended medical benefits and in need of drugs that are not covered by B.C. Medicare. At a cost of $1300+ per cycle for a minimum of 8 cycles, $10,400 would only pay for her medication. There are also the costs of living and having a dignified recovery to think about.
So our goal is to raise $25,000 to support her through the next 9 months of treatment. These funds will support our friend through this uncertain time. Give as much or as little as you can. Every small or big contribution counts. Together we can knit an alternative community-based safety net for Vicki!
Organizer and beneficiary
Monica J Sanchez-Flores
Organizer
Kamloops, BC
Vicki Nygaard
Beneficiary
