Esther Palomino Cancer Care

Hello,

I am creating a fundraiser for my friend Esther Palomino, her story is below. I've known her since high school, and she is a wonderful person. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Esther is a former foster youth. She was never adopted but did have some great foster families. Unfortunately, she was also abused at one point in her childhood and has no contact with her birth family. Even though she was essentially on her own starting at 18 she had her life together for quite a long time. A few years ago in 2019 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a very long battle and eventually went through a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and a trial for an autoimmune therapy. Thankfully she has been declared in remission.

She was supposed to get her surgery on January 31st but unfortunately had pneumonia so the surgery couldn't proceed. She was very depressed when she found out she didn't get the surgery she had been fighting for. Out of anger and fear she said some things that put her on suicide watch but was released when she showed no signs of self-harm. She realizes that she scared people by saying things out of frustration and has been seeing a therapist. It was a really long and very difficult process to try and find a therapist and deal with the medical system which makes her feel unheard and uncared about; but she have worked really hard to get a new surgery date, which is now Friday, September 22nd at 5am. Her therapist has been helping her communicate with the doctors. She is staying with a friend who will be caring for her in the first two weeks after surgery.

In March the roommate she was living with had a stroke. It was traumatic to discover him and that led to a difficult time needing to move out. She applied to many rental places but was always told she doesn’t qualify because she hasn't been able to find steady work during her cancer battle. She moved to Imperial Beach to look after a dog and house until the family moved in September, they were essentially strangers and very generous. She then reconnected with a friend from high school whose dad is letting her live in his extra room. She struggles a lot with feeling like a burden and like she's not a contributing member of society.

She hasn't been able to find steady work due to her treatment schedule and energy level. Because of this she has maxed out all of her credit cards despite insurance and food stamps. Without family she has had to rely on the kindness of strangers and her friends to make it through her battle with cancer. Once she gets her surgery, and recovers, she will be able to finally get back to normal life. Until she can recover from her surgery she still needs help.

Any assistance you can provide to help her get food, pay her medical expenses, and help her recover is greatly appreciated.