Help Hana Beat Breast Cancer

Hello everybody,

We know countless causes are asking for your time and money - we so appreciate you taking the time to read our gofundme page.

To cut to the chase, our dear friend Hana Ballout was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer this February. The news still feels like a shock to us, especially given Hana’s age, health and lack of family history with the disease.

The great news is, due to the great care she’s receiving at The Virginia Cancer Institute and her aforementioned age and health, Hana just finished her last week of Chemotherapy. Our girl is now preparing to undergo the first of up to three surgeries that, while invasive and requiring a great deal of recovery time, will hopefully take her to the end of an incredibly difficult journey. Hana’s fortunate to work for an amazing company that has been generous with a flexible workload, as well as giving her access to lifesaving health insurance. That said, if you’re at all familiar with the healthcare system in America, you know that even with insurance, a prolonged illness is financially crippling for the average earner. We - Hana’s closest friends and family - wanted to set up this page to show her how much we love her, and to alleviate the financial stress from her boatload of other stresses.

Now to tell you why we love Hana so goddamn much:

From Elle:

If you know Hana, even in passing, it’s impossible not to recognize how special she is. Hana is one of the most compassionate, caring people I know - somehow she never forgets birthdays or special occasions. She remembers the particulars of what you’re dealing with - even in the middle of her cancer treatments somehow. Besides being a person of great character, Hana is also darkly funny, she’s got killer style, she’s sneaky as hell and has an abundance of creative, interpersonal and logical intelligence. Also, she’s a total smoke show. Also also, I have to mention the time she organized a Liam Neeson-style international search party when she thought I was kidnapped in Cuba. I’m pretty sure Gerri from Succession is somehow based on Hana. If she wasn’t so idealistic, she’d be a top candidate for the CIA. I love her to death <3

From Amanda:

It’s tough to know where to begin when it comes to my friend of 19 years. Everyone who knows Hana can tell you how rare her friendship and perspective is. The kind of human you don’t come across every day - always the funniest and smartest girl in the room. One of my favorite things about Hana is how thoughtful and curious she is, stirring everyone around her to learn more about themselves and the world. Whether you’ve spent a day or a lifetime with Hana, it’s easy to feel how positively and deeply her personality can impact you. And on TOP OF THAT? Amazing style - yes / gorgeous - yes / funny - yes. I can’t wait to spend another 20 years in the Taco Bell drive-thru with her. To know her is to love her, so let’s give some support to someone who’s done so much for us.

From Lindsay:

Hana is the greatest person I have ever known and probably the best one I'll ever meet. She has an endless supply of light and laughs, queen of the fairies and everyone's heart. There was a time when I got to spend virtually every day with Hana during which she was the joy, she brought all the love, and she was the major reason those days mean so much. She's an absolute gem of a human, truly unlike any other, as anyone who has ever met her can attest. A smartie smoke show who knows how to be there for you in ways few people can - so let's be there for her now.

Thank you again for taking the time to read our love letter to Hana. If you have some cash and kind words you can kick towards our fund, we would be so grateful.

We’ve also got some creative fundraising ideas tba, if you have some ideas or want to be involved, message us here!

XO

Hana’s friends & family