Stage 4 Breast Cancer Patient Facing Homelessness

When I first met Carolyn, she was running a well-respected acupuncture business. As a caring, skilled, and compassionate practitioner, her treatments dramatically improved my health. I could never have imagined that 7 years later, she would find herself in financial ruin, essentially begging for her life because of a breast cancer diagnosis.

But battling breast cancer (which turned metastatic in 2018) and being immunocompromised through a pandemic has left her in such a position. As she hangs in limbo, hoping to qualify for a clinical trial, she now faces homelessness. Carolyn is not eligible for consistent housing assistance and has no family help. In her own words, her body is outliving her funds, and she’s now been told her only option is to go to a homeless shelter. It seems hard to imagine that this situation could exist in America, but reoccurring housing aid for a single person in their 40s with cancer like Carolyn has been impossible to find.

The cancer developing in Carolyn’s bones means she likely will be unable to walk without assistance soon. But she’s hesitant to pursue the surgery option of treatment because she does not know where she will live or how she will navigate aftercare.

Despite these hardships, Carolyn perseveres as a wounded healer. Fighting for all breast cancer patients, she founded North Star Cancer Advocacy (northstarcanceradvocay.org), an important information sharing platform online and through Instagram. Her mission is to spread awareness, advocate for change, and reach those affected by breast cancer who may benefit from knowledge she has gathered along the way.

Carolyn hopes to relocate from the Chicago area to Houston, TX, for a better chance at a clinical trial. We, as her friends, are trying to help her gain some financial stability and find a place to live. Any support is deeply appreciated and will go directly to Carolyn's housing and living expenses so that she can focus on healing, not homelessness.