Cancer In These Challenging Times

My name is Amanda and as some of you might already know I went to FIU and busted my butt off to get a BA in Theatre and Communications. I have spent the last 3 years working in a theatre starting from seating patrons, to box office, and now finally being a part of a production. Unfortunately like so many around the US I lost my source of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 12th I found out the job I had worked so hard for, my opportunity at working in my dream field on a Broadway caliber musical was coming to an immediate halt. If that wasn’t bad enough two days later on what would have been opening night, one of the happiest nights of my professional life, I found a lump about the size of a ping pong ball in my breast, fast forward a week and I’m sitting with a surgical oncologist being told I have Stage 2 breast cancer. Suddenly my entire world was turned upside down and I found myself, an already high risk asthmatic, braving the COVID-19 ridden world to attend what seems like a never ending series of doctor’s appointments and diagnostic tests. The good news is I found it early enough. The bad news, I must undergo at least 3 months of chemo before removing it is even considered an option. This means as a 29 year old female I now run the risk of losing 70% of my fertility before getting the opportunity to have children. I had begun the process of freezing my eggs since time is of the utmost importance but I now come to find out mid-treatment I can’t afford it. Even with support from the livestrong foundation freezing my eggs for future use will cost me thousands of dollars and because I don’t have income coming in I can’t get approved for any loans. Stopping mid-treatment guarantees I’d be losing at least 20 eggs on top of any added chemo related fertility loss. On top of fertility preservation I now face a very long hard journey ahead of me littered with dozens of medical procedures that I will have to pay portions of out of pocket, starting as soon as the week of the 12th of April. I normally am very bad at asking for any sort of help especially financial and I know we’re all going through it right now and money is no mere commodity. But if you could contribute anything at all it would be greatly appreciated.