No One Fights Alone: Mears Cancer Recovery

Steven was diagnosed with Stage 2, Tier 4 colorectal cancer in December 2022. Hi, my name is Leah and I am fundraising to support covering cancer treatment costs on behalf of the Mears family. Steven and his wife, April, just welcomed their first baby boy, Steven Michael, on March 6th, 3 weeks early after 5 years of praying and waiting for their family to expand.

Steven and his wife, April, have been my friends for over 12 years. Steven had wrestled with gastrointestinal issues before being sent for a colonoscopy this last Christmas, shortly after which he was scheduled for an emergency surgery to remove a tier 4 tumor from his colon. The day that his son was born, Steven started Chemo and Radiation. The initial treatments are 5 days a week and expected to take about 6 weeks.

April is a 2nd grade teacher in Florida, and although their insurance covers some of Stevens medical care, it does not cover 100%. This fund will help them pay the difference leftover from surgery, and weeks of treatments. I want to be clear, they did not ask for help. They wouldn't. In the 12+ years that April and Steven have known me, they graduated college, got married, started new careers, moved states twice, struggled with conception, faced the financial ups and downs that comes with each of these changes and never once asked for help (financial or physical). Rather, in all their free time, they spent most of it helping others - such as myself. More than once they've rescued me from the side of the road, cooked me dinner, helped me move, listened to my sobs of grief and heartbreak - and I'm not the only one to benefit from their kindness and generosity.

April & Steven are two of the hardest working people I've ever known, never letting life's trials stop them from moving forward - even when it slowed them down. For once, I'd like to be able to give back some of what they've given to others and some of their time they've lost to yet another trial they have no control over. But I can't do it alone.

Please, help me help them navigate the "some days are better than others" path of cancer, while they provide for their new baby, and continue to move forward with their lives. Even $20 makes a difference.

Thank you in advance for your time and generosity in helping this family during their time of need. Prayers for Steven's chemo and radiation treatment, and a remission status are greatly appreciated.