Amber's fight against Stage 3 ovarian cancer

Amber needs our help to defeat Stage 3 ovarian cancer

I’m posting this with the hope that together, we can help save the precious life of a beautiful soul, mom, and wife in our world and to help her remain here with her husband and kids for many more years together.

I met Amber Martinez by accident. No, I mean really, we had a little bumper-car moment on the road one day (my fault and not hers) and in a convenience store parking lot…as we evaluated what just happened, I was introduced to this kind mom and wife, who was almost to her neighborhood when life intervened. As we pulled into the parking lot, my mind was racing. A little apprehension about what is going to happen next is natural because you don’t know who is getting out of the other vehicle…are they going to be kind, scared, angry, or all of the above? As the young woman opened her car door and got out, I immediately pictured my own daughters or wife in that circumstance and I wanted to reassure the woman and put her at ease. As we made introductions and assessed whether anything serious had occurred, we started to exchange contact information and I learned that Amber wasn’t on her way home from work…she was coming from the hospital…she had been there as a patient because she is battling stage 3 ovarian cancer.

This hit very close to home. My kids and I lost my wife/their mom to cancer about five and a half years ago. In our instance, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 at Stage 4. Talking with Amber in that parking lot, and learning that she was driving herself home, I was immediately transported back in time to the multi-year “battlefield” of Kim’s fight with cancer. Flashes of medications, doctor’s appointments, treatments, and hospital stays across numerous days, evenings, weekends, and a routine of disease-warfare that became somewhat normalized in our household and interwoven with everything else (work, the kids’ school activities, groceries, trips to the pharmacy, etc.). While, most often, Kim had me or a family member with her at doctor’s appointments or taking her to and from treatments…over a multi-year battle with cancer, there were numerous times that she drove herself…in pain, exhausted from a lack of quality sleep, dealing with side effects from the many strong medications that she was taking. She was a soldier. And on the battlefield, soldiers are often tasked with pushing through impossible circumstances to advance the fight.

That was the same kind of day that Amber was pushing through when our paths literally intersected. My heart was flooded with empathy. She did not need this additional stressful situation.

As I started to grasp her circumstances, the memories of my family’s similar path were racing through my head accompanied by recollections of such incredible kindness, support, and assistance which we received from friends, family, neighbors, and compassionate individuals who we didn’t even know.

Is there a way to help Amber and her family like that?

Over the next few days and months, I learned more about her story and the critical period of her healthcare fight which she’s now in. I asked her to write it down.

Here’s her story in her own words…

“My story with this horrible disease is filled with both incredible (seemingly unbearable) challenges and yet, the most profound love. My name is Amber, and like many of you, I’ve faced obstacles in life—some that I never imagined I’d have to endure, and some that have tested every bit of my strength.

Last year, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and since then, life as I knew it has changed in ways I never could have predicted. Cancer is something that feels surreal when you first hear it. It’s a word that brings fear, uncertainty, and so many unanswered questions. But I’ve learned something through this journey… I’ve learned that while cancer may invade the body, it can never take away the power of hope, the strength of family, and the determination to keep going.

I’m not just fighting for myself—I’m fighting for my family. For my husband, Ernie, who has been by my side every step of the way for 17 years. For my son, Adrian, who has Autism and needs daily special and specific kinds of care…who has shown me a kind of bravery and compassion I can never repay. And for my daughter, Nicole, who amazes me every day with her achievements—she’s not only a high school senior on the honor roll, but also the captain of her varsity cheer team. She has made honor roll all throughout high school and is now starting to receive scholarships and apply to colleges. All while this tremendous weight of my illness weighs on her and my family. Her drive, her leadership, her heart—it all gives me the strength to keep fighting.

I have undergone chemotherapy, countless treatments, and I’ve faced days when I didn’t know if I could keep going. But every time I look at my family, I know that I have to. I can’t give up on them, and they can’t give up on me.

Mr. Dickey asked me to write down my story so that he could share it because, today, I simply need help. The cancer has spread, and my doctors say that the only hope for remission now is surgery. The cost of this surgery is significant, and despite all our best efforts, we still haven’t been able to raise enough to cover it. And occasionally, my treatments and illness have disrupted what I typically contribute to our household income. We’ve had to lean on each other and God, but we’ve also had to lean on the kindness of others.

The road has been long and hard, but I believe in the power of love and faith. I know that this surgery is not just a chance for me to live; it’s a chance for me to keep being the wife, the mother, the person that my family needs me to be. And for that, I will keep fighting with EVERYTHING I have.

I’m not just fighting for myself—I’m fighting for Ernie, for Adrian, for Nicole…for our whole family. I want to be here to see Adrian grow, to watch Nicole walk across that stage at high school graduation and college graduation, to be there for every small moment and every big milestone that awaits both of them. I want to be here, fighting, loving, and living with my family.

Thank you for anything you can do to help me to win this fight and be here. Your support, your kindness, and your belief that hope is never lost…even in the darkest of times…it fills my chest with fresh air and my heart is so hopeful.”

The portion of the surgery cost that the Martinez family must pay is $8,000. It is likely that there will be other indirect costs and more time away from work (and the compensation it provides) as well.

The initial fundraising goal established to help Amber get this crucial surgery is $4,500 and I believe in my heart that it is immensely achievable. Ultimately, I'm hoping that we'll be able to accomplish more than that. Will you help?

I know, first hand, the desperate yet faithful hopes of a young mom and wife who wants to be able to stay in this world…to finish raising her kids, to keep loving and living life with her husband, and who knows in the depths of their soul that there is more good for them to do here. And I know there are many who can relate to Amber’s battle.

Thank you, in advance, for any assistance you can provide.

-Cameron Dickey

For the Martinez Family