Crystal Latvaaho

My name is Wendy Voss and I have a dear friend and colleague here at Essentia Health Virginia that has been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Her name is Crystal Latvaaho. You never know how strong a person is or really what they are made of until they are hit with devastating news. My young friend has taught me what courage really is.

Her name is Crystal and she

is 39 years old; She is married to her best friend Jason and has two amazing step daughters and one grandson that is her entire world.

When She was 36, She found a lump in her breast that turned out to be cancerous. She had a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. She found out She was going to be a grandma the same week she found out she had cancer. This was her driving force that kept her going. During this entire time, she worked full time and would take her computer with her to Chemo and use her lunch break for her radiation treatments.

Fast forward to August 2022, After a weekend camping trip she felt off. After a few days went by she knew something was wrong. She loss her appetite, felt extremely fatigued and had pressure feeling in her lower pelvis. She knew this was not normal and being a cancer patient anytime you don’t feel good you expect the worst.

That’s exactly what happened after a trip to the Emergency Room. She was told she had a mass on her ovary and fluid in her stomach. A biopsy and paracentesis were scheduled coincidently on her wedding anniversary. Then the devastating news! Metastatic cancer in both of her ovaries.

Crystal has started chemo in hopes to shrink the tumors so they can be taken out.

I have been with Crystal almost everyday since her diagnosis of the metastatic disease and am in awe of her. She is such a hard worker, always being a hands on leader in her Nutrition Department at the hospital, she is funny, and is always worried about what everyone else is going through.

Please help my courageous, loving friend by donating to help with the costs that are associated with this terrible disease!

Medications, Chemotherapy, travel expenses, and loss of wages.

Thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart!

Love,

Wendy Voss