Help Laurna-Lynn Defeat Cancer

Update January 16, 2025: a huge thank you to each of Laurna’s supporters who have contributed to this fundraiser. She is deeply grateful and wanted to provide a positive update she received. Laurna’s surgical pathology from the tumor and lymph nodes showed no further cancer cell division--so the chemo was working. Having had to stop the chemo due to it also attacking her liver (good news on that front too--her liver and kidney function are improving) the 30 radiation treatments remains the next treatment step. Your funds raised have made it possible to pay for a couple of the bottles of the pneumonia medication not covered by OHIP. You are all so awesome. We're cheering you on, Laurna, you got this!!

Original message: It's been a very challenging few months for Laurna-Lynn Mills, who is a loving mother, grandmother, friend and farmer. She is battling metastatic triple negative breast cancer, and has faced numerous challenges in addition to this during the last few months.

Laurna completed 4 rounds of chemotherapy, enduring the associated side effects while trying to run a farm alongside her partner. Intensive chemotherapy was Plan A for treating her aggressive cancer. But then in December, the immunotherapy/chemo treatment unfortunately also targeted her liver in addition to the cancer, causing severe drug-induced hepatitis, resulting in hospital admission for some of December.

While in hospital, Laurna developed pneumonia, for which she has needed a costly medication since hospital discharge that is not covered by OHIP, at $602 per bottle, and still needs further bottles of this medicine to treat her pneumonia.

Having to abort Plan A for cancer treatment due to the liver involvement, Plan B is in the works. On January 3rd, Laurna had surgery to remove the tumor and 5 lymph nodes. She is home recovering, and will soon have 30 radiation treatments. She is deeply thankful for her HSN Cancer Centre treatment team and speaks so highly of their support. Her liver function has been improving now, with hope that it may recover.

The sheep farm suffered unprecedented losses this year due to predators and parasites, resulting in significant lost income. With Laurna’s coming radiation treatments and lambing season happening at the same time, it stresses her to have to stand back at a time when she would usually be in best form. It has all been “a lot,” and Laurna has been a trooper through everything so far. She is grateful for all of the well wishes and kind words.

It would ease her burden if we can support financially during this hard time.

Sincere thanks to each of you who are able to donate, or share this GoFundMe, to help Laurna-Lynn, a radiant and resilient mom, grandmother, friend, and all-around beautiful soul.

With deepest thanks,

Andrea Quackenbush