3rd Time is a Charm: Emily's Cancer

Emily Fay Reese is organizing this fundraiser.

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UPDATE 2/27/17: My cancer is spreading and my prognosis has changed to the cancer being in my bloodstream. They are unable to give me a percentage or timeframe, but I will be on some kind of chemo until my body can't take it anymore or it stops working on the cancer. Please see the latest details under the most recent "update" on this page.

Cancer hits lots of individuals and families these days. Sometimes it goes away with treatments and surgery, and sometimes it doesn’t.

Getting the news that you have cancer AGAIN really sucks. Unfortunately for me, the doctors have discovered that I have colon cancer AGAIN, for the third time in six years. Most people say that I am too young to get colon cancer; yet, here I am, battling once more.

And just when I felt that my life was getting back to normal! To say this is inconvenient and annoying is putting it lightly. My usual Wonder Woman self has been put to the test again to try to work while dealing with this news and the physical issues I am having, but I learned from last time that I cannot do it all.

Since my last time with cancer a couple of years ago, I have have been blessed by opportunities to do so many things. Besides teaching at EnCompass Academy (formerly Rainshadow) and being a part of saving the school from closing, I was able to do a TED Talk, run a grass-roots campaign for our local school board as a candidate, and become the editor of the new Bliss Babe Magazine. Having everything come to a halt after building my life into something of a dream, I am struggling to remain energetic and optimistic. I have to take care of myself, though, and I do know that I am strong. I just can't keep up and be able to fight off Crusty. (Yes, I named my tumor. Would you expect anything less from me?)

So as of the week of September 1, 2016, I have gone on an indefinite leave of absence.

This means no paycheck at all after my last one at the end of September. My gracious employers and school board at EnCompass Academy are going to keep me on insurance through January, but it will need to be reviewed after that.

I still don’t know if I will need chemo after my surgery on September 14th, but I am guessing I will have to. It is chemo that I dread more than anything, because it drains me and keeps me from living a normal life. (UPDATE: They have canceled future surgeries.)

Working during this time as a teacher is out of the question. I am going to try to pick up money here and there with my writing and editing skills, but that won’t be enough to pay the bills and keep me in my home. My Three Little Birds, Maddie, Kate and Thomas, want me to be comfortable and with very little worry, and so I am going to have to ask for help from you all.

The support and love that I feel from all over the world is humbling and amazing to me. Those of you who live in town will be able to help in tangible ways, and I am already grateful for all of you.

So, here are my needs: I am planning on trying to raise enough money for seven months, assuming that many of those months will entail chemo of some sort. I need to replace my salary loss, which is about $2500 per month.

God bless teachers for doing a tough job for not enough pay.

I will also likely lose my insurance after the first of the year, so I am either going to need to try to cobra, try to qualify for medicaid (which teachers are often denied and you have to fight it), or find some kind of private insurance. So…I need to plan for that from a financial standpoint.

Hopefully there won’t be any other unforeseen costs during this time, but just to be safe, I will make my goal for the next seven months to raise $25,000 dollars. Update: I am raising the amount to $50,000 from the original amount.

This might seem like a huge amount, but I know tons of people, and if just 500 of my friends and family give $100 each, it’s totally doable.

So, do you think you can help? I will keep everyone updated like I usually do with my transparent journey on social media, and do what I can to impact others through my experiences.

Please spread the word. If I’ve learned anything during these three journeys with cancer, it is to set aside pride and ask for help. All of you are such beautiful people, and any amount you can give will be deeply appreciated by me and my genuinely amazing three teens.

Please contact me through this GoFundMe site if you have any questions at all. I want to be completely above board regarding my finances and will be a good steward of your generosity.