support Kiersten in kicking cancer's ass

Hey there. If you know our dear Kiersten well, you know that she has always found ways to be a contributing and loving member of the community who focuses both her personal and professional time on caring for others. Often, for folks who operate this way, it can be a bit difficult to remember to ask others for help when they need it in return.

Many may have already heard that Kiersten was recently diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. Without much notice, she packed up her work and her life in Texas and returned to the PNW so she could receive care at SCCA. While Kiersten has expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to be back with her community during this time, she is also facing some incredibly challenging decisions related to her treatment. Specifically, SCCA has recommended several surgeries be completed within the next several months, in addition to her radiation. While her insurance can (thankfully) support much of her treatment, some of the recommended surgeries will not be covered. These recommended surgeries and the associated cost comes after just a year of Kiersten working to build up a small business of therapy clients. She has had to say goodbye to (for now) to focus on her own health. Major medical decisions should always be between a patient and their doctor. It deeply enrages me that finances become a contributing consideration for people and so that's why I am setting up this Go Fund Me, to see if as a community, we can help relieve her of some of that additional finance-related anxiety. Our babe is already dealing with enough major life changes and decisions - draining her bank account to keep herself healthy is additional stress that I hope we can help her avoid.

No one wants to be in this position, especially not strong, independent women like this one. In addition, I know she feels unbelievably grateful for the support of her community that has shown up for her so far. That said, knowing Kiersten has been one of the honors of my lifetime. I know I am not the only person touched and impacted by her ever-available listening ear, her kind reassurances during hardship and her wickedly sharp sense of humor. I am hopeful that this GFM can serve as an opportunity for our community to remind this loving human how many people are in her corner and cheering her on through this ordeal. If you can spare any small amount, now or later, know that the gesture will mean the world to her and that words of encouragement and love are worth so much more than the financial contribution. But hey, this is America, and GoFundMe - for better or worse - has become the fuel our healthcare system runs on, so truly, a few bucks if you can spare it would mean a lot for lightening the load.