Support Amanda B. in her Breast Cancer Battle

Our resilient friend, Amanda Barcizewski, was diagnosed with Stage II invasive ductal breast cancer in early August 2021.

Here is a snippet of her story:

“In March, I found a small lump in my left breast that I had checked out. Given my age, and the paternal breast cancer history, my OBGYN suggested that it was something to keep an eye on but was consistent with symptoms of dense breast tissue. In July, while on vacation with Mike, I found that same lump had grown large enough that I felt it important to get checked again. This time, the same doctor advised that, given its growth, I should get an ultrasound.

On August 3rd, I had an ultrasound and a mammogram. I was told very little other than I needed a biopsy as soon as possible. So, on August 9th, I had four samples taken out of the lump.

On Tuesday, August 10th, I received a call after work that the samples taken showed that I had breast cancer.

On August 17th I met with my oncologist. She let me know that I had Stage II invasive ductal breast cancer. She informed me I am triple negative (estrogen and progesterone hormone receptor negative, and HER2 negative), which is common among women with the genetic mutation BRCA1.”

In addition to receiving this life altering diagnosis, Amanda had to quickly make the decision to go through IVF and freeze her eggs because of the havoc the chemotherapy would wreak on her reproductive system. On top of that, Amanda has weekly chemo treatments, self-administered shots to improve her white blood cell counts, and countless lengthy appointments with a slew of specialists. At the end of her treatments, Amanda will have a double mastectomy and an oophorectomy to eliminate any possibility of the cancer coming back.

As anyone who knows Amanda might expect, she is handling this entire experience with remarkable strength and grace, but no one should have to tackle these steep medical expenses on their own. Now that she is in the harshest stage of her chemo treatment, we are looking to raise money to help ease the financial burden of this unexpected diagnosis. We hope this will alleviate some of the monetary stress that comes with mounting healthcare bills so she can focus on healing.

Any donation counts and is deeply appreciated.