Heather Black - Breast Cancer at 24

Heather Black is my best friend's younger daughter. She is 24 years old and has just been diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer.

Nobody expects this to happen to such a young woman, in fact it's quite rare. Her cancer is a triple negative, meaning not estrogen, not progesterone, and not HER2 fueled. This means that it is harder to treat, more aggressive, and may return. The future holds eight weeks of chemotherapy, a double masectomy, more chemotherapy, and because a CT scan showed lymph node involvement, she will need six weeks of daily radiation at the end of the treatment plan.

Her family is amazing. I've known them for 20 years. Her parents, Amy and Greg Black, are two of the most involved, caring, community-minded, generous, and kind people that I know.
Here's the Black family at Amanda's wedding.

They have raised two daughters who have all of those same qualities - Heather, and Amanda, who is older than Heather and was married this past summer. Both girls chose professions where they help others.
Heather & Amanda

Heather loves her work counseling other women in health care and I was recently told by a co-worker who saw Heather in action that she is very good at what she does. She makes a difference.

Family, friends, and community are rallying around Heather and helping with trips from Maine to Boston for treatments and appointments. Amy and Greg have lived, worked, and participated fully in their community of Wayne, Maine for decades and, in turn, that community loves this family.

Amy and Heather

Greg and Heather

HOW CAN WE HELP?
One of the main reasons for this fundraiser is that Heather, who is employed full-time, had recently struck out on her own and purchased a car and a modest home. In a cruel twist of fate, the day she signed the papers for her new home and received the keys is the same day she found out about her diagnosis.

She will need to be absent a lot from her job for treatment as well as taking time off to deal with the side effects of chemotherapy. Although her co-workers are helping by donating vacation days, and her community is doing all they can, neither they nor her parents can afford to take on Heather's house, car and student loan payments.

Additionally, the expenses she will incur taking many trips to Boston for treatment, as well as the health care expenses that insurance won't cover, are starting to add up -- anyone who's ever dealt with a serious, unexpected illness will understand how quickly the cost can become overwhelming.

So I am asking you all to help Heather with these expenses, and look forward to a home and car to return to when she resumes her life. I cannot even imagine how hard this is for her without having to pile on a mountain of health care expenses or losing her new home.

The day she found out started with joy at receiving the keys to her little house.

Thank you everybody - please let me know if you have questions.