Navigating Breast Cancer After Top Surgery

Est full read time: 3 mins

TDLR: Gage has been diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer after top surgery and needs community support for their family (themselves, their partner and their kiddo) during this time. It is serious and has spread to their lymph nodes.

Top surgery & diagnosis lead up

Our buddy Gage got some tough news recently, and it has become clear that this time in their life will require more community support than anticipated. Gage had top surgery on March 11th, and were ecstatic to celebrate this new chapter of their life.

They have been feeling supported and held by their community in fundraising that had taken place leading up to their surgery. Unfortunately, two weeks into the recovery from this procedure and amongst all of their joy, they received news that they have breast cancer.

How diagnosis happened

How does this happen? When a person has tissue removed from their body as a part of a surgical procedure, that tissue is sent away and lab tested. Gage’s breast tissue came back positive for cancer, very quickly jolting their celebrations of gender affirmation. Because of how this process has occurred, it has been a little more tricky to determine how advanced this cancer is. However scary this information has been, we are certain that access to trans healthcare led to the discovery of Gage’s cancer, and are extremely grateful for access to these lifesaving services.

What we know so far

Gage still has cancer in their breast tissue (top surgery does not remove all of this tissue), it’s an aggressive form of cancer, and it has spread to their lymph nodes. Their PET Scan results just came back, and have indicated that the cancer has not metastasized (has not spread into other organs past their lymph nodes).

I don’t think anyone can prepare for the realization that a celebratory part of their journey is now fraught with health concerns and worry. But here's the thing about Gage: they're tough as nails.

Medical action plan & next steps so far

They're diving straight into chemo, followed by surgery to remove the remaining breast tissue and some lymph nodes and finally, radiation. They're facing this head-on, but they could surely use our help along the way.

We will update this section as soon as we know more…

Where support funds will go

Due to the uncertainty of this process and ultimately, prognosis, Gage will be off work for the unforeseeable future. Their partner Parker has been a huge support during this time, and will continue to throughout. Gage is also working hard to show up for and support their 12 year old kiddo during this time.

This GoFundMe is all about supporting Gage through this wild and unexpected ride.

Your donations will help cover (for both Gage and their kiddo)

-Bills

-Loss of wages for themselves and partner

-Groceries and meals

-Help and cleaning support around the house

-Mental and physical health support

-Getting around, gas and transport expenses

-Anything else they need a hand with

-Plus, we want to make sure their kiddo has everything she needs too, from summer camps to school supplies to everyday support stuff throughout this process.

Let's rally together and show Gage some love. Every little bit helps, and together we can make a huge difference in their journey.

Will update with more information when it’s available. If you have questions you can reach out to me via GoFundMe.