Please help Chris win her fight with breast cancer

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I’ve set up this GoFundMe to help my cousin Rich, and his beautiful wife Christina (Chris) who is fighting breast cancer.

Rich and Chris are facing overwhelming challenges. Chris, age 42, was diagnosed with breast cancer this past February (2021). She discovered a lump in her breast in August of 2020, but because of Covid, and a rather inept medical system, was not able to get an appointment for a mammogram until January of this year! The mammogram showed three lumps in her breast, along with swollen lymph nodes. A biopsy was done, and Chris received the diagnosis no one wants to hear: Stage 2 advanced breast cancer. She has been undergoing chemo for several months, is scheduled for a mastectomy in September, and then will require radiation. Bone scans show some lesions on her bones, at this time her oncologist believes they are benign, but as with anything cancer related, that is subject to change. Although they have good medical insurance, Rich has almost depleted his paid time off. Although he has job protection with FMLA,  Rich is the sole breadwinner of the family, as Chris is a stay at home mom to her four children ranging in age from 11 to 17. A serious car accident several years ago had necessitated Chris leaving her job due to the injuries she sustained. As her children were growing up, Chris had hoped to return to the workforce last year, but Covid and cancer had other plans. At this time Rich and Chris need help in covering their daily living expenses: copayments, keeping up the household (electric, oil, taxes, trash pick up, internet – they cut the cable cord) and maintaining their vehicle. They live in upstate New York, and all Chris’s medical facilities are at least a 45 minute drive. Chris was hospitalized in July for a strep B infection, and has recently had several trips to the emergency room at two of the hospitals in their area, without much insight on what is causing some troubling symptoms that may or may not be related to the cancer/chemo. Rich and Chris are hoping to transfer her care to a more specialized hospital, such as Memorial Sloan Kettering or Columbia Presbyterian in NYC. That would put an even bigger financial burden on them, with wear and tear on their vehicle, possible hotel stays for Rich, tolls, parking, etc. Chris’s children are currently staying with their grandmother, who has been a big help to both Chris and Rich, but their cash reserves are running low. Any and all assistance to this wonderful couple would be greatly appreciated.

Please donate if you can, and help spread the word. Chris is a daughter, a mother, a wife, a sister, and probably the best friend you could ever know.

Thank you in advance!