Support Lavina's Road to Recovery

There are very few people in the theatre scene, Chicago and beyond, who have not benefited from Lavina Jadhwani's artistry, advocacy, humor and joy. She gives so much of herself in the room, on the page and just in general and now it's our turn to send that good energy and love back her way......

Here's what's happened in Lavina's words:

"On June 18 I went to the ER with chest pains and shortness of breath. After a battery of tests the diagnosis was revealed: ovarian cancer.

I'm currently being treated at Advocate Illinois Masonic (who took such great care of me when I had breast cancer in 2017) and fully intend to kick this thing's ass. The first big step is surgery, which will be on a TBA date (hopefully this week). It appears to have spread to a few other organs, so it'll be an intense one -- hysterectomy plus, as it were.

We'll know a lot more after that but it looks like the treatment process is gonna be pretty intense. If you pray/mediate/chant/believe, the main thing I could use right now are healing vibes and thoughts of full removal and clear scans.

Between my last bout with cancer and covid, I have almost all the supplies I need -- plenty of hand sanitizer, comfy pjs/robes, cute chemo caps.

I'll be staying with my parents in Edgewater after surgery, so good food will abound. But if you have a few ducats to spare and are so inclined -- some community care/mutual aid would be tremendously helpful in addressing some unplanned expenses."

She will need our support as she figures things out like hospital bills, future medical expenses, groceries and other unforeseen costs during this difficult time. Lots is up in the air right now but estimates include:

- Medical bills: They tried to stay in network as much as possible, but that was a challenge; we won't know the full total for a while

- Basic living expenses (mortgage, utilities): last time Lavina had cancer, she worked pretty regularly during the treatment process; this time she plans to slow down and take 2-3 months off of work to prioritize my recovery

- Other related needs: transportation to/from appointments, home cleaning (to prevent infection), reiki/energy work, lots of kn95s

"Apologies if this is the first you've heard of this -- a lot has been happening fast and honestly it's a little overwhelming for me to talk about right now. Please know that if I don't respond to a message from you right away, it's not personal!

I am keeping this news off of my personal social media for now (I'm still kinda in shock, tbh), but it's not a secret -- feel free to share this news with our communities.

I do want the people I love to know what's going on, and I hope to stay in touch with you all by sharing updates here."

We know this is a tough time for everyone, but anything you can give would be greatly appreciated!