Kathleen's Cancer Fighting Fund
Donation protected
*100% of donations received here will be given directly to Kathleen to help cover her medical and living expenses.
Dear friends,
I remember sitting on my couch in my Brooklyn apartment with Kat in September of 2016, laughing and chatting for hours about life, art, philosophy, politics, love (the usual topics).
At one point she expressed concern about a small lump she had noticed in her breast, and I reassured her that it was most likely nothing to worry about, but it would be good to get it checked out. Kathleen went home to Arizona, and we continued to hatch plans for future artistic collaborations in New York City.
Then, two short months later, after 5 biopsies, an MRI and various ultrasounds, the diagnosis came: breast cancer. Specifically, Stage 2a Invasive Ducal Carcinoma. But then, after a surgery in January, she was upgraded from Stage 2a to Stage 3c.
Some of you probably remember that last year Kathleen was in a pretty horrific car crash that left her medically dead on the side of the road for several minutes. Kathleen likes to say that she has two birthdays to celebrate now - the day she was born and the day she came back to life.
If you've been lucky enough to get to know Kathleen like I have, you know that she has, or rather, IS an indomitable spirit. She laughs in the face of danger and greets the unknown with open arms. She's also incredibly humble to a fault.
She didn't want to set up this GoFundMe page because she felt like she would be asking her friends for too much.
Well, tough.
Sorry, Kat, but you're not doing this alone. This cancer thing sucks. And we're going to help you beat it. Friends, spread the word, donate if you can, and if you can't donate anything right now, spread the word. I repeat, spread the word. 100% of the donations received here will go directly to Kathleen to help cover her medical and living expenses, which are laid out in detail below from Kathleen.
In love and solidarity,
Ellyn Heald
Initial Diagnosis: In November of 2016, after 5 biopsies, an MRI, and various ultrasouds—Kathleen was diagnosed with Stage IIa Invasive Ducal Carcinoma (IDC). She had an estimated 2.5 cm tumor with minimal lymph node involvement on left, and Lobular Carcinona In Situ (LCIS) on both sides. Initially, the treatment was going to be just surgery, radiation, and maybe hormone blockers.
Surgery in January 2017--turned out to include 12 lymph nodes showing cancer with 4.5 cm taken out of the left breast, as well as all the spots of LCIS. Staging changed to Stage IIIc. Treatment post-surgery changed to include chemo, radiation, and Tamoxifen. Hitting it up hard because of my (relatively) young age and the chances of full cure, as well as my choice to keep my breasts and do bilateral lumpectomies/excisional biopsies/breast lifts rather that full mastectomies in spite of what they call my “busy breast tissue”.
They say the dis-ease is like a really ugly flower—now that it’s been uprooted (surgery), they want to sterilize the ground (radiation) and make sure the pollen doesn’t plant anywhere else (chemo).
Surgery gave clean margins thanks to a brilliant surgeon, and my PET scan is clean as well.
Treatment Plan Details:
*Surgery on both breasts in January 2017
Port insertion surgery just happened April 21, 2017 (puts an artificial port in chest with tube going into jugular to help deliver chemo without destroying smaller veins)
*5 Months of Chemo, starting May 4, 2017.
*After unknown recuperation time, will start radiation
*Approx 1.5 months of radiation
*Then move into maintenance mode with checkup imaging every 6 months
*5-10 years of Hormonal Treatments via medication
Finances:
In order to:
*Catch up on piling up past due bills
*Keep all debts current (including huge student loans)/all regular monthly expenses (including having to eat organic, switch out all cleaners, add filters to everything, change makeup and skin care, buy special household and personal supplies to help during/recovering from chemo, etc etc while not working or minimally working):
Estimated approx $3000/month for 8-12 months
Additional medical expenses, including:
*Doctors not covered by insurance, *medicines/supplements and treatments not covered, some of which might offer alternatives or complements to traditional treatments, (oncologist has recommended everything from acupuncture to myofascial massage):
Estimated $1500-2000 a month for 8-12 months (the extra oncology-recommended supplements alone are almost $1000/month)
As an independent contractor, not eligible for state’s disability or other programs, this could mean bankruptcy.
From Kathleen:
"I went back to school a few years ago in Dance and Somatic Movement Education, planning to change my career upon graduation. However, only a few months after I finished, in April 2016 I was in a serious rollover car accident that basically left me dead on the side of the road and put me in the hospital. As I went through both physical rehab for my broken hand and vestibular therapy for the balance and dizziness issues caused by the Post Concussive Syndrome, I was unable to work much, to drive, or move the way I used to. I still have the dizziness and occasional cognitive issues, and my left hand no longer has full mobility. All this took its toll as I saw my savings eaten up, and my anxiety and depression mount up along with my bills. Then in November I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Fortunately, friends help with a great deal, and a group I worked with later donated a wonderful car. I’ve been able to work a few jobs with groups that have known me for years and are motivated to accommodate my current situation, but I can’t work much. It’s not just the recuperation for surgeries and beginning to face treatment. Dealing with doctors, insurances, health research, being proactive partnering in my own health decisions, searching for assistance and resources, has all turned into a full-time job...and I’m lucky in that I have some knowledge in health, physiology, self-care and well-being, alternative health, and logistical production. I can’t imagine what it must be like for people who don’t have those frames of reference to draw upon.
This journey has shifted my focus greatly. I’ve been involved in theater and dance choreography for a long time, and have always loved intertwining textual analysis, storytelling, and physical movement. I have worked extensively with teenagers and the connections created through that work have meant the world to me. I love to work with non-dancers and open up worlds of movement expression with them. I’m a passionate teacher and creator. But I knew as I went through my degree in Somatic Movement Education that while I still loved storytelling through movement, I wanted to add deeper levels of movement, wellbeing, and support of others in wholeness somehow.
Now, I see ways in which perhaps my journey and experiences can support others, perhaps lighting their way for their own journeys. I’m looking at a Ma/PhD program in Depth Psychology and Somatic Studies that I have already applied to and would love to do if the financial support was there. I am interested in using that to prepare me to serve as a consultant with cancer foundations in developing programs to support cancer survivors, and as a movement director and creative consultant for groups ranging from performers to corporations—in any of these areas, I can focus on physical and psychological wholeness and well-being through movement, creative expression, and somatic facilitation. I would also love to take workshops and trainings like Martha Eddy's Moving for Life or continuing somatic or creative emergence trainings to enable me to work with thriving survivors. I am already making notes for a book, perhaps one combining my trademark combination of smart-assery and spiritual/somatic explorations relating to my cancer journey. I want to advocate for health care for all, knowing all too well what it’s like to wonder if life-care will be ripped away from me by politicians. I have work to do as I continue to walk this earth, knowing how precious each opportunity is.
All this of course takes financial support, but I am learning to have faith, to trust and receive. I want to continue to find meaning in my own experiences by offering support to others. I want all this to count for something, and I can’t believe I came back to life on the side of the road and am surviving cancer to simply live in quiet fear. So many people are helping and supporting me...a good portion of this journey for me is about learning to accept and receive, to trust and have faith. I want to learn to truly appreciate and receive, and then pay that forward in new and creative and joyous ways."
*100% of donations received here will be given directly to Kathleen to help cover her medical and living expenses.
Dear friends,
I remember sitting on my couch in my Brooklyn apartment with Kat in September of 2016, laughing and chatting for hours about life, art, philosophy, politics, love (the usual topics).
At one point she expressed concern about a small lump she had noticed in her breast, and I reassured her that it was most likely nothing to worry about, but it would be good to get it checked out. Kathleen went home to Arizona, and we continued to hatch plans for future artistic collaborations in New York City.
Then, two short months later, after 5 biopsies, an MRI and various ultrasounds, the diagnosis came: breast cancer. Specifically, Stage 2a Invasive Ducal Carcinoma. But then, after a surgery in January, she was upgraded from Stage 2a to Stage 3c.
Some of you probably remember that last year Kathleen was in a pretty horrific car crash that left her medically dead on the side of the road for several minutes. Kathleen likes to say that she has two birthdays to celebrate now - the day she was born and the day she came back to life.
If you've been lucky enough to get to know Kathleen like I have, you know that she has, or rather, IS an indomitable spirit. She laughs in the face of danger and greets the unknown with open arms. She's also incredibly humble to a fault.
She didn't want to set up this GoFundMe page because she felt like she would be asking her friends for too much.
Well, tough.
Sorry, Kat, but you're not doing this alone. This cancer thing sucks. And we're going to help you beat it. Friends, spread the word, donate if you can, and if you can't donate anything right now, spread the word. I repeat, spread the word. 100% of the donations received here will go directly to Kathleen to help cover her medical and living expenses, which are laid out in detail below from Kathleen.
In love and solidarity,
Ellyn Heald
Initial Diagnosis: In November of 2016, after 5 biopsies, an MRI, and various ultrasouds—Kathleen was diagnosed with Stage IIa Invasive Ducal Carcinoma (IDC). She had an estimated 2.5 cm tumor with minimal lymph node involvement on left, and Lobular Carcinona In Situ (LCIS) on both sides. Initially, the treatment was going to be just surgery, radiation, and maybe hormone blockers.
Surgery in January 2017--turned out to include 12 lymph nodes showing cancer with 4.5 cm taken out of the left breast, as well as all the spots of LCIS. Staging changed to Stage IIIc. Treatment post-surgery changed to include chemo, radiation, and Tamoxifen. Hitting it up hard because of my (relatively) young age and the chances of full cure, as well as my choice to keep my breasts and do bilateral lumpectomies/excisional biopsies/breast lifts rather that full mastectomies in spite of what they call my “busy breast tissue”.
They say the dis-ease is like a really ugly flower—now that it’s been uprooted (surgery), they want to sterilize the ground (radiation) and make sure the pollen doesn’t plant anywhere else (chemo).
Surgery gave clean margins thanks to a brilliant surgeon, and my PET scan is clean as well.
Treatment Plan Details:
*Surgery on both breasts in January 2017
Port insertion surgery just happened April 21, 2017 (puts an artificial port in chest with tube going into jugular to help deliver chemo without destroying smaller veins)
*5 Months of Chemo, starting May 4, 2017.
*After unknown recuperation time, will start radiation
*Approx 1.5 months of radiation
*Then move into maintenance mode with checkup imaging every 6 months
*5-10 years of Hormonal Treatments via medication
Finances:
In order to:
*Catch up on piling up past due bills
*Keep all debts current (including huge student loans)/all regular monthly expenses (including having to eat organic, switch out all cleaners, add filters to everything, change makeup and skin care, buy special household and personal supplies to help during/recovering from chemo, etc etc while not working or minimally working):
Estimated approx $3000/month for 8-12 months
Additional medical expenses, including:
*Doctors not covered by insurance, *medicines/supplements and treatments not covered, some of which might offer alternatives or complements to traditional treatments, (oncologist has recommended everything from acupuncture to myofascial massage):
Estimated $1500-2000 a month for 8-12 months (the extra oncology-recommended supplements alone are almost $1000/month)
As an independent contractor, not eligible for state’s disability or other programs, this could mean bankruptcy.
From Kathleen:
"I went back to school a few years ago in Dance and Somatic Movement Education, planning to change my career upon graduation. However, only a few months after I finished, in April 2016 I was in a serious rollover car accident that basically left me dead on the side of the road and put me in the hospital. As I went through both physical rehab for my broken hand and vestibular therapy for the balance and dizziness issues caused by the Post Concussive Syndrome, I was unable to work much, to drive, or move the way I used to. I still have the dizziness and occasional cognitive issues, and my left hand no longer has full mobility. All this took its toll as I saw my savings eaten up, and my anxiety and depression mount up along with my bills. Then in November I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Fortunately, friends help with a great deal, and a group I worked with later donated a wonderful car. I’ve been able to work a few jobs with groups that have known me for years and are motivated to accommodate my current situation, but I can’t work much. It’s not just the recuperation for surgeries and beginning to face treatment. Dealing with doctors, insurances, health research, being proactive partnering in my own health decisions, searching for assistance and resources, has all turned into a full-time job...and I’m lucky in that I have some knowledge in health, physiology, self-care and well-being, alternative health, and logistical production. I can’t imagine what it must be like for people who don’t have those frames of reference to draw upon.
This journey has shifted my focus greatly. I’ve been involved in theater and dance choreography for a long time, and have always loved intertwining textual analysis, storytelling, and physical movement. I have worked extensively with teenagers and the connections created through that work have meant the world to me. I love to work with non-dancers and open up worlds of movement expression with them. I’m a passionate teacher and creator. But I knew as I went through my degree in Somatic Movement Education that while I still loved storytelling through movement, I wanted to add deeper levels of movement, wellbeing, and support of others in wholeness somehow.
Now, I see ways in which perhaps my journey and experiences can support others, perhaps lighting their way for their own journeys. I’m looking at a Ma/PhD program in Depth Psychology and Somatic Studies that I have already applied to and would love to do if the financial support was there. I am interested in using that to prepare me to serve as a consultant with cancer foundations in developing programs to support cancer survivors, and as a movement director and creative consultant for groups ranging from performers to corporations—in any of these areas, I can focus on physical and psychological wholeness and well-being through movement, creative expression, and somatic facilitation. I would also love to take workshops and trainings like Martha Eddy's Moving for Life or continuing somatic or creative emergence trainings to enable me to work with thriving survivors. I am already making notes for a book, perhaps one combining my trademark combination of smart-assery and spiritual/somatic explorations relating to my cancer journey. I want to advocate for health care for all, knowing all too well what it’s like to wonder if life-care will be ripped away from me by politicians. I have work to do as I continue to walk this earth, knowing how precious each opportunity is.
All this of course takes financial support, but I am learning to have faith, to trust and receive. I want to continue to find meaning in my own experiences by offering support to others. I want all this to count for something, and I can’t believe I came back to life on the side of the road and am surviving cancer to simply live in quiet fear. So many people are helping and supporting me...a good portion of this journey for me is about learning to accept and receive, to trust and have faith. I want to learn to truly appreciate and receive, and then pay that forward in new and creative and joyous ways."
*100% of donations received here will be given directly to Kathleen to help cover her medical and living expenses.
Organizer and beneficiary
Ellyn Heald
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
Kathleen Brazie
Beneficiary