Keep Kendra Strong

Kendra Bryant is one of the strongest women you will ever meet. Literally. She is a champion power-lifter. She is also a single mom to 4 beautiful children, an advocate, a coach and a generally badass human being. She is a fierce fighter for social justice, always rooting for the underdog, and one of the first people to jump in and help someone else in need.

AND... right now, Kendra is getting ready to fight for her own life. She recently tested positive for the BRCA1 gene, which is a hereditary genetic mutation that increases one's chances of getting breast and/or ovarian cancer by up to 85%. Ovarian cancer has a very low survival rate.

After meeting with a team of geneticists, specialists and surgeons, Kendra has made the decision to face this gene and its high risk mutations head-on. She is scheduled to undergo a full hysterectomy at the end of July, and then, after only a few weeks to recover, she will have a double mastectomy with reconstruction. These risk-reducing surgeries will reduce her chances of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer by 90-95%. As a mom to 4 kids, Kendra is definitely feeling the gravity of that decision.

As you can probably imagine, the financial costs are overwhelming. Kendra is responsible for paying an out-of-pocket maximum of $8,150 for the surgeries. In addition, she will need to take time off of BOTH of her jobs to recover and estimates that she will lose at least $2500 in income from her second job. Kendra will have at least 8-10 weeks of recovery time, during which she will STILL be a single mom to 4 kids... expenses will continue to accrue during this time.

I am asking for help in raising funds to help Kendra not only pay her medical costs and replace her income from her second job, but also to give her a little peace of mind so that she can focus on FULLY recovering before returning to working 50+ hours/week while balancing the responsibilities of motherhood.

Throughout all of this, Kendra has remained an advocate for others and uses her experience to connect with and educate/support others who might be at risk for the BRCA1 gene. Please consider making a donation to help keep Kendra STRONG as she undergoes and heals from these significant and invasive procedures. Consider it a compounding investment in the health and well-being of one amazing woman who will continue to uplift and advocate for many others.