Help Cindy Battle Breast Cancer

Last month, in August 2022, my best friend of 25 years heard the dreaded words, “You have cancer.”

Cindy’s latest mammogram indicated “BI-RADS 5.” After a biopsy and 4-hour MRI, she was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, aka breast cancer.

Cindy’s treatment plan has been mostly solidified. She will start with a double mastectomy (removal of both breasts) and reconstruction. It is not clear yet if she will need radiation or chemotherapy, as this will be determined after a thorough pathology and analysis by her oncologist post-surgery.

As you can imagine, this has been a stressful time with many tearful phone calls and sleepless nights. This is only the beginning.

Cindy’s out-of-pocket medical expenses to date are astronomical. This is just for the diagnostic part of the process. She hasn’t even begun treatment or surgeries yet. She has good health insurance; however, bills are piling up even with insurance and having met her steep deductibles. This is due in part to a “Global Out-of-Pocket Plan.” Even though her deductibles are met, insurance only pays specific amounts per procedure, leaving Cindy with exorbitant bills. Additionally, in 3.5 short months, her insurance plan will renew and she will again have to pay another $12,200 in deductibles before insurance pays any additional amounts. She has been going to Moffitt Cancer Center every six months since 2019, costing her $2,000 every visit. Cindy will be unable to work for at least a month while she recovers from each surgery. This does not take into account the possibility of chemotherapy post-surgery.

To make matters worse, this devastating, life-altering news came ten months before her wedding! Cindy is 47 years old and waited her entire life to get married. She finally met the love of her life and planned to marry on June 17, 2023. Everything is already booked. This should be the most joyous time of her life, but sadly, she has been robbed of the joy she deserves. She remains strong and grateful for having her amazing fiancé (Curran Thomas) by her side for this battle. My hope with  this campaign is that we can help get Cindy through this challenging time so she can move forward and enjoy her wedding without the debilitating anxiety caused by the financial burden of mounting medical debt.

Cindy is one of the most caring and generous people I know. She selflessly helps anyone in need in a moment’s notice. She rarely asks for help, so I’m taking it upon myself to get her the help she desperately needs and deserves. She should not have to start her new life this way. We all know that stress is a killer. Stressing over having cancer is enough; if we can help relieve the stress of medical bills, we can give her that much more of a fighting chance to beat this – and return some joy to this time in her life.

Cindy has been humbled by the outpouring of love she has received so far, and I know she will be genuinely grateful if her village can come together to offer help in her time of need. She is one of the strongest women I know and plans to fight like hell to get through this. Let’s give her a head start!

Thank you for reading this far and for your consideration of a donation. Any amount will be deeply appreciated. Even the smallest amount can help fill Cindy's gas tank as she must drive two hours for every appointment.

The Law of Giving says that the more you give of yourself without expecting a return, the more that will come back to you. This is one of the most powerful principles of all time.

I would like to dedicate this campaign to Cindy’s dear friend, Cristina, who recently lost her life to breast cancer, potentially saving Cindy’s life. Had Cindy not gone through every step of Cristina’s battle with her over the years, she wouldn’t have decided to incur the extra cost of going to Moffitt Cancer Center every six months for her exams since 2019. Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women, so please get regular checkups.