Support Kat Jackson’s breast cancer recovery at 27

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Katlyn Jackson and 5 others are organizing this fundraiser.

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As of September 2024, I was able go preserve my fertility and visit genetic testing later early August. This was a lot more taxing than imagined with many mixed emotions to cope. Now I am in medical induced menopause dealing with those side effects like insomnia. It doesn’t help that financial stress keeps me awake and unable to eat it’s awful. Monthly medical bills and fixed payment plans have been in place without any other way around. Sadly, it’s going to take some time for disability determination with a lawyer moving forward since being in my 20s and self employed, this has become a chronic migraine and incredibly very defeating. Unfortunately my car payment is starting to go and I absolutely need a vehicle to get to and from my doctor appointments. I have never been late on any payments until now and it’s a living nightmare out of my control but how the hell are you expected to survive? It’s even more depressing the time spent on the disability application to get denied after the full wait time to take priority over again to take more steps to get this stability in order. Even stage 3 active breast cancer treatment was not a good enough reason regardless of being out of work over 12 months for a complicated extended road to recovery.

I’m currently getting appointments straightened out that have slipped through the cracks whether due to lack of funds for gas transport or fatigue. I’m still struggling with coming to grips of ‘normal’ life now that I am adjusted in my current home and regaining my memory from chemo. My monthly bills at the minimum is $1,500 for rent, phone, utilities, car payment and insurance, fixed medical bills, private student loan maxed on financial hardship pause, credit card also maxed out on hardship pause that neither can delete my auto payment. My emotional support pup Goldie recently had an annual vet appointment and ear infection. Ironically she hardly needs much but she is in need of her monthly flea/tick and heartworm medicine for October. I still yet have to file my taxes that I need help with exporting from QuickBooks however I do not have the ability to pay the owed taxes from the 3 months worked last year. These funds were use for a U-Haul to move back to Ohio October 2023. Soon my car needs tires. My windshield is spider webbing from a rock my last week of radiation on the freeway in February. I have no idea if this will be an issue in the winter time.

I have regular monthly labs for 1 or 2 long term medications I started to prevent recurrence. The next med will be added in a week with closely monitored side effects the first month on top of the adjustment of menopause, POTS from chemo and a suspected auto immune arthritis starting to flare up that is waiting further testing, physical therapy and lymphedema therapy. Sometime in the next month a surgery date will most likely be scheduled. At this rate, I just want to have normalcy back. The depression and anxiety around not being understood, pressure to get my shit together but I cannot change anything and trying harder is not the answer- I’m losing a battle with myself even though I beat breast cancer… it doesn’t feel like I won for the fight against government benefits until I’m off my feet. It’s backwards how this process goes. It’s more exhausting than fighting cancer because I was at least able to sleep on chemo. Thank you government for taxing my mental and stability exceeding getting through cancer. This recovery period has been nothing but constant motion in every way. The worst pressure is defending your new physical condition adjustments that’s making me push off surgery longer. God, I am not wanting to live this new lease on life to work, I just want to live, not be owned by the constant cycle struggle. That was not part of the transaction to fight for my life. I hope my journey contributes to young adults with cancer in some capacity because it’s a nightmare, a very, very long nightmare.

I’m been submerging myself in art therapy the past couple months and cancer support groups and weekly counseling. It’s still hard but I’m trying. With October (breast cancer awareness month) coming, I have launched the Titty Tuesday awareness project created in collaboration with another designer, in my Etsy shop in efforts to raise funds and start a conversation; ‘what’s titty Tuesday?’

I also make colored cancer awareness resin keychains and much more. Bulk orders may be considered. This link goes to all my socials and Etsy shop, partnered Youngstown local community events, etc,…

https://linktr.ee/kat.jackson

Kat's Journey

I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 25 on April 1st, 2023 with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) stage 3, ER positive (estrogen/hormone-positive), aggressive grade 3. On April 9th, Easter weekend, I had to close my 2 massage therapy offices in OH and WV of 2 years on a rushed note to prepare for treatment along with pausing my photography and artisan side work. After meeting my oncology care team, I learned how uncommon and aggressive my case was, setting the tone for an unimaginable recovery along with the overwhelming moving parts involved. On May 16th, my treatment plan changed learning the tumor grew 33% in 3.5 weeks, failing 5 rounds of chemo. My treatment plan essentially reset June 13th when having a modified radical mastectomy to remove the cancer soon as possible.

My tumor pathology came back with weak estrogen receptors and metastasis to 1 of 24 lymph nodes being 60% estrogen positive. In my 6-week follow-up appointment, I learned my cancer needs treated as triple negative. The new treatment plan was 5.5 months of cancer and 6 weeks of radiation, followed by removing the other breast and ovaries due to the high risk of ovarian cancer having the BRCA1 gene, in particular.

How funds help

Funds help support paying gas for transportation from Youngstown to Cleveland, especially during radiation 5 days for 5 weeks, rent, groceries, phone, necessary living expenses, insurance, etc… out of pocket expenses to pursue fertility preservation. I have already taken the steps to minimize any monthly expenses possible.

Little did I think the accidental painful lump I found shaving my armpit one night would floor my life upside down. Words cannot express the overwhelm my life got flipped upside down from being someone that goes all in 100% to being unable to work. Shock is an understatement.October 2023, I moved back to Youngstown and transferred to the Cleveland Clinic. After being reviewed by my new careteam, my cancer was determined stage 3A, not 2.

Hardships & Challenges

This is a complete nightmare for anyone self-employed, especially in the building blocks stage of the first 2 years after the Covid-19 pandemic. I struggled hard to push through wait time from insurance-required hoops, specialists, awaiting pathology results to get answers and almost stopped trying when the urgency wasn't seeming so urgent whether that was through health insurance or the lack of typical breast cancer symptoms.

Luckily, I had my grandmother who survived breast cancer at 31 years old who motivated me to keep pushing. It's a such taxing process. Her mother also had breast cancer and passed away in her 40s along with a twin sister in her 50s. I am the youngest in the family to be diagnosed with breast cancer and the first to be tested for the BRCA genes.

Currently I am fighting for government benefits with no luck for months. Somehow I do not have a caseworker, cannot get a hold of a person, unable to physically go to the county office because I have appointments scheduled full time. It is so defeating to struggle getting in touch with the county benefits office while funding is near entirely exhausted and I literally have no idea what to do.

I choose to share my journey because I almost didn’t say anything because it seemed crazy, no way, what are the chances? The chances are 1 in 500 to have the BRCA1 gene mutation. I knew absolutely nothing about breast cancer or genetic testing. I was the first and youngest in my family to have genetic testing. I was able to share this with family members to support getting tested and understand how the fertility specialists can genetically modify the gene to not pass along to offspring.

Fact: Breast cancer does NOT skip a generation. There is a 50/50 chance of passing along the gene but having the gene does not necessarily mean one will develop cancer. Variable risk factors weigh in such as age of conceiving, age of menarche and more.

https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/about-breast-cancer/

Only 5-10% of the population diagnosed with breast cancer has BRCA 1 or 2 mutation. Specifically, BRCA1 is more aggressive and presents earlier in age than the average diagnosed population. It's even more of a head-scratcher that I'm part of 1% with ER (+) (estrogen-receptor) and grade 3 necrotic tumor whereas most BRCA1 cases are triple negative, not hormonal nor are mid 20s.

I found the breast lump February 6th accidentally in the shower shaving and received this diagnosis on April 1st. The strangest thing is I have no typical symptoms besides a rapidly growing painful mass and I thought I was losing my mind feeding into the foreign body phobia.

Overall Goal

Funds support necessary living and medical care through battling breast cancer through the unforeseeable future. I can't express enough how much learning everything I have has changed my life in the most stressful of ways. Learning everything between types of mammograms, genetic counselling, types of breast cancers, tests involved in staging cancer, the pathology, reproductive complications and hormones, possible treatment options in modern medicine and more I can't think of. It's been information overload learning everything for the first time let alone figuring out how to process everything and then retain it?!

Of all things, I found it most difficult to find resources for assistance- how do others live and be taken care of when on a long road to recovery to get better? What to prepare and expect of the changes your body will experience while battling cancer given the type of treatment? Is genetic testing covered by health insurance and what steps should be taken first? What area of medicine is breast care in?

I didn't know any of these things! Especially, how do you get genetic testing when you're under the age of 35 and prove family history when medicine most likely didn't have these things available yet?!

There are so many strange things about my scenario but I couldn't find any type of answers I was looking for, let alone how to ask questions you just don't know to even ask. The fact that I could easily not be alive by the end of this year had this not been pressed, makes me want to advocate awareness. I find it very helpful for myself to choose to be transparent about my story and exercise vulnerability, shock, overwhelm, and anxiety by seeing the speechless amount of love and support sweeping in when I couldn't bare to deal with more obligations while being physically able, sweeping in to help when I didn't realize needing it or what day it even is. Or getting a heartfelt message when I'm bawling and feeling isolated emotionally. My life really does plays in the odds but it's still not easy no matter what difficult obstacles I overcame before but I know anything after beating this will be a walk in the park.

Other ways to support

On the link below I have shared my battle with chronic pain leading me to help aid others manage chronic pain as a massage therapist. The passion to help others and as a consumer struggling to find helpful products, offer therapeutic at-home products I'd have available for clients between appointments, especially quality CBD topicals and tools for pain relief. I provide hand-picked products to be more accessible with resources through my license in an online store that is easy to continue maintaining especially during this time.

https://katlyn-jackson-lmt.square.site/

I also have an Etsy shop for some of my art, photography prints, resin crafts, and jewelry. I enjoy focusing on upcycled functional items and using sustainable bio-degradable packaging. Recently I released a floral collection. In preparation for treatment, I have items pre-made that are available to ship. There are also a limited quantity of support t-shirts in the shop that were made for my benefit back in May along with different color cancer awareness keychains. https://www.etsy.com/shop/KatJacksonCreations