Breast Cancer Support for My Sister Tanya
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Laurelle Taylor and I have organized this for my sister, Tanya Taylor who was diagnosed with stage 4 metaplastic breast cancer for which there is currently no cure. Her doctors are using whatever medical tools they can so she maintains a good quality of life for as long as possible.
My big sis Tanya and I are very close despite the significant age gap between us. She has been my Wonder Woman through my life, and we have developed a close friendship as I have matured into adulthood. I have always admired her fun-loving youthful personality and zest for life and adopted her ability to brew friends into family.
Tanya is a talented Jamaican television producer/director. She moved to LA for work last year, away from her family and close friends. In April 2023 she received the devastating diagnosis and has been physically dealing with her illness alone as her support system is concentrated on the US east coast and in Jamaica. As a result, she has been somewhat private about the challenges she is facing. She goes back and forth for testing, infusions, and doctor visits alone and has no one around as she endures the draining and sometimes painful side effects of the treatment. Since her diagnosis, I was able to take time off from my job in Jamaica to be with her during her final week of radiation and after an infusion. This treatment left her in a weakened state, and fortunately I was there during that time to take her to the emergency room for care and make sure that she ate when she was at home. I am grateful that she has been in good spirits in the last couple of months and was able to make a trip home to celebrate her birthday with some of her biological and chosen family.
As with everything she does, Tanya has approached dealing with her illness in a practical manner. My sister found a team of doctors who continue to research and craft ways for her to maintain a good quality of life with minimal side effects for as long as possible.
Tanya’s first course of treatment consisted of radiation to reduce the breast tumor and eradicate the pain while also undergoing consistent immunotherapy infusions. After 3 months the doctors assessed and found that the radiation treatment worked as expected however, the immunotherapy did not mitigate against the growth of other lesions in her body. Her oncologist has therefore added chemotherapy pills to her regimen.
As mentioned, my sister is not very vocal about her situation and has only shared her incurable illness with closest friends and family. Though suggested earlier, she has been resistant to setting up a GoFundMe account at the start of her illness. In fact, while undergoing treatment, whenever possible, my sister continued to try to do what she loves, working 14-hour days on set. The television industry, however, is going through a tumultuous time with the recent WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes.
Her health coupled with the lack of robust working opportunities and trying to deal with this on her own in the last 6 months, has left my sister is in need of financial assistance. It is with great humility that I now turn to our village for support. Your donations, however small, will go towards her expenses while she navigates this incurable disease and access to critical cutting-edge healthcare.
Thank you for taking the time to care and support my sister’s breast cancer battle.
<3 Laurelle - affectionately known as Tanya Taylor’s “little sister”.
Fundraising team: Tanya's Family (2)
Laurelle Taylor
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
Tanya Taylor
Beneficiary
Yvonne Millwood
Team member