Help Cristina in her fight with MC breast cancer

Hi everyone My name Cristina Balan. I am a sports car expert, a stubborn automotive engineer and a mom… I’m opening this fund to help me go thru the “challenge” that I was made aware in the past few weeks, exactly when the breast cancer awareness months started!

On October 4 I felt a lump on breast and immediately called my doctor. After a physical exam she felt also a big and concerning mass! After a mammogram and ultrasound I was told that I have a 3.2 cm mass which is 99% cancer as my lymph nodes are presenting a concerning size as well!

It was the hardest and the most shocking news I ever received in my life!

It was even more hard to swallow, when exactly 3 months before I just had a CT scan for a pneumonia that I was going thru and nothing was showing on my breasts! I’ve checked with the radiologist who performed that CT and he did another CT, which left him in a complete awe to see the big mass that has developed in less then 3 months! A CT that now showed Enlarged lymph notes as well, which were again not there a few weeks back.

With the help of my family and friends I decided to take a long trip to Houston TX, for a second opinion! I explained again my concern about the aggressivity of this mass and the fact I am feeling a new one in another part of my breast which the other doctors told me is nothing there more then a hard tissue!

I was welcomed by an amazing team at MD Anderson in Houston TX, I was checked in and had all the test done including a new mammogram, ultrasound of both my breasts, my tumor and nodes, which showed exactly what I felt: another mass! They’ve ordered an MRI who confirmed: I was right it was a second tumor there! Girls please please advocate for yourself and your body! If you feel that your doctor doesn’t listen get a second opinion!

I did that and I’m happy I did it, bc they’ve discovered not one or two or three, but more then 5 different tumors and the awe for everyone is the biggest Two are exactly the same size in all directions, which they’ve never seen before!

My cancer is a rare type and very aggressive called Multifocal multicentric Breast cancer and soon I will find out how aggressive it really is… unfortunately the lymph notes biopsy shows cancer already, so it spreading already. I was also told that I will not be able to keep my breast.

I will have a long and very difficult road ahead of me with a little one that needs me every single minute! Me and my son we always had a special bond and the hardest part for me is how I will take care of him and me in the same time!

If I will have a chance to beat this monster, is by temporarily moving or traveling back and forth to Houston which involves a lot of financial struggles for me!

You May know me for my contributions that I brought worldwide wide to so many luxury cars (Audi, Porsche) and EVs, my fight against Elon Musk and Tesla and their long chain of hidden recalls and silence all their employees, and my fight on showing that women should have a place in automotive industry, same as men. I had plans for so many innovations, none of which involve cancer, chemo, mastectomy or losing my hair, all on top of how can I continue to be a good mom!

I would appreciate any help that you may share as my continuing battles will move forward hopefully to a good outcome!

Thank you

I will update you with all the changes and challenges I will face along the way