Lisa's Metastatic Breast Cancer

Hello my friends and loved ones out there, I was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year in April; at first it was stage 2 with a treatment plan in place but by mid-June it was discovered that it is metastatic stage four that has went into my bones. This put me in the hospital unable to walk because one of the worst areas is my pelvic and tailbone area, and it fractured my left shoulder as well. This was really devastating news to me in every way, and totally unexpected. It has completely turned my life upside down.

My treatment plan changed at that time including chemotherapy and radiation. My doctor plans to keep me on chemotherapy and a relatively new breast cancer hormone therapy especially designed for HER2 positive type that I have. This will be a long and extensive therapy but I'm told will keep me alive. My cancer at stage 4 is not curable, but I am not terminal; my oncologist is hopeful that the lesions on my bones will be shrunken as much as possible, but the long term future is unknown.

I've been on a walker since the cancer progressed, and struggle with taking care of myself and my household while living alone. I am determined to get stronger every day, but of course all of this wiped out any chance of working this summer, or returning to my job that I love as a long term substitute in reading intervention and other elementary areas here in the West Carrollton area. This summer while recovering at home I've watched the world go by out my window and watched my careful savings go toward the rent and monthly bills, wondering what is going to happen. I've started the application process for social security disability but this can take months, and I've been waiting for months for a small tax refund that I was but now cant depend on to tide me over with rent for atleast one month. This led me to make a decision to turn to a go-fund me to hopefully help me until after the first of the year when I should be in more of a recovery stage and able to walk and work freely, or I am approved for social security disability.

I've worked hard all of my life and was thankful to be able to get my college degree, I'm 60 years old this year but never saw myself as one who would get cancer that is knocking me to my knees financially, emotionally and mentally. I have a strong faith in God, and a strong trust in my doctor and medical team that I will improve enough to lead a normal life again for however long God wants me to; but in the meantime I have no means to pay my rent or utilities and such which run me about $1300 a month. I live pretty frugally as it is and was approved for food assistance; so any donations will go towards essentials.

Any success that could come of this from the goodness of people's hearts would be so appreciated from the bottom of my heart, with giving thanks to those giving and to God for putting a generous heart in his children.