Help Our Instructor Shamina Beat Cancer
Donation protected
In July of 2019, our Kendo instructor Shamina was diagnosed with an aggressive form of stage 2 breast cancer and has recently started treatment. She and her husband do not have health insurance and we, their students, are creating this fundraiser to help support them in their time of need.
About Shamina
Shamina is an instructor, alongside her husband, at the Houston Kenshikan and Cougar Kendo at the University of Houston, non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting the Japanese martial arts of Kendo and Iaido. She is currently a 4th degree black belt in Kendo and has been deeply involved in the community for over 10 years. She has devoted her all and commits a tremendous amount of time to teaching and improving the students at the dojo.
Her dedication to the martial art is rivaled only to her dedication to her friends and family. Shamina cares deeply for those at the dojo and considers them her own family. On and off the floor, she does what she can to assist the students of the dojo whether it be general life advice or help with employment.
Shamina is a cornerstone of the dojo and on the eve of her first chemotherapy session, she was in the dojo helping to renovate the floor. She will be unable to practice for the next 1.5 years. However, even with this condition, Shamina will continue to teach her students, which shows just how dedicated she is.
Her Treatment
Shamina recently had her first of 6 chemotherapy treatments. After the 6 chemotherapy treatments are completed (totaling about $95k), the cancerous areas will hopefully have shrunk in size. She will then have surgery to remove the tumor and affected lymph nodes, undergo radiation treatments, and 10 years of hormone treatments. She will be unable to practice during the first 1.5 years of this endeavor. Her main goals are to get through treatment and get back to practicing with everyone as soon as possible.
The costs of the testing procedures, biopsies, MRI, PET scan, and the port installation surgery have already caused a severe financial burden on Shamina and her husband, in addition to the $118k in student loans they have already accrued. There will be many more costs to come in the future, and we have been told that these costs could easily amount to over $250,000 without insurance.
Any and all money raised will be used exclusively for treatment and associated costs. We ask that you donate to this fund if you want to support her recovery. Anything helps - even just $1. If you can’t donate, please spread the word and share our page! Any amount, any exposure at all, will help them tremendously.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!
Videos from the support team:
Sinclair Wu:
Chris Juede :
Joseph Giron:
Rose Nguyen:
About Shamina
Shamina is an instructor, alongside her husband, at the Houston Kenshikan and Cougar Kendo at the University of Houston, non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting the Japanese martial arts of Kendo and Iaido. She is currently a 4th degree black belt in Kendo and has been deeply involved in the community for over 10 years. She has devoted her all and commits a tremendous amount of time to teaching and improving the students at the dojo.
Her dedication to the martial art is rivaled only to her dedication to her friends and family. Shamina cares deeply for those at the dojo and considers them her own family. On and off the floor, she does what she can to assist the students of the dojo whether it be general life advice or help with employment.
Shamina is a cornerstone of the dojo and on the eve of her first chemotherapy session, she was in the dojo helping to renovate the floor. She will be unable to practice for the next 1.5 years. However, even with this condition, Shamina will continue to teach her students, which shows just how dedicated she is.
Her Treatment
Shamina recently had her first of 6 chemotherapy treatments. After the 6 chemotherapy treatments are completed (totaling about $95k), the cancerous areas will hopefully have shrunk in size. She will then have surgery to remove the tumor and affected lymph nodes, undergo radiation treatments, and 10 years of hormone treatments. She will be unable to practice during the first 1.5 years of this endeavor. Her main goals are to get through treatment and get back to practicing with everyone as soon as possible.
The costs of the testing procedures, biopsies, MRI, PET scan, and the port installation surgery have already caused a severe financial burden on Shamina and her husband, in addition to the $118k in student loans they have already accrued. There will be many more costs to come in the future, and we have been told that these costs could easily amount to over $250,000 without insurance.
Any and all money raised will be used exclusively for treatment and associated costs. We ask that you donate to this fund if you want to support her recovery. Anything helps - even just $1. If you can’t donate, please spread the word and share our page! Any amount, any exposure at all, will help them tremendously.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!
Videos from the support team:
Sinclair Wu:
Chris Juede :
Joseph Giron:
Rose Nguyen:
Fundraising team: The Houston Kenshikan (3)
Jiahao Li
Organizer
Conroe, TX
Shamina Chang
Beneficiary
Chris Juede
Team member
Will Hodge
Team member