Support Stacy's Fight Against Breast Cancer

In early October, Stacy was diagnosed with triple negative invasive ductal carcinoma, stage 1. Starting November 7, she'll be going through 8 weeks of hardcore treatment that will end the week of Christmas.

After 3 weeks of recovery, she'll start another 12 weeks of chemo once a week followed by 4 weeks of recovery. After the chemo is done, she'll undergo either a lumpectomy or mastectomy, followed by another 4-week recovery period.

Due to her chemo, surgery, and weakened immune system, Stacy will not be able to return to work for the remainder of the school year and will have no income. As a single mom to her two awesome kiddos, Ben and Emma, she'll need financial support to help cover her daily expenses, bills, and hospital/doctor bills.

Thank you for your help. She's very grateful for any support you can give! Below is her story:

The lump is named "Larry" and he's got to go!

7/5/23: I went for a regular check-up and breast exam with my gyno and nothing was weird, all normal.

Mid-July 2023: I felt a sore spot on my left breast and scheduled my mammogram. Still thinking all was normal.

End of July 2023: I developed a small sore lump.

8/17/23: I went for a mammogram which was negative = all clear of any lumps or masses.

8/18/23: Called gyno to inform them of the lump and to discuss the negative mammogram. At this time the Dr ordered a diagnostic breast ultrasound and mammogram.

9/15/23: The diagnostic ultrasound showed a .75 cm suspicious abnormal mass. The Dr ordered a biopsy.

10/10/23: I went for the biopsy.

10/11/23: I received news that I have triple negative invasive ductal carcinoma, stage 1. “Larry the lousy lump” is 1.2 x 1.7 cm. And no cancer is in my lymph nodes or in right breast. Thank goodness!

Treatment consists of 4 rounds of a cocktail of aggressive chemotherapy every 2 weeks beginning on 11/07/23. Followed by 12 weeks of another less aggressive chemotherapy once per week, making it a total of 20 weeks of chemo altogether.

After chemo, I will be having surgery to remove what is left of the lump or cancer tissue in my breast or have a mastectomy depending on how well I respond to chemo. I will be losing my hair (get ready to see some fun wigs on me!), my oncologist said a cold cap will do nothing with this type of chemo.

I will basically have no immune system so we all need to mask up when we go out and get our flu shots. Since I am receiving all these treatments, I am unable to go back into the classroom. Physically being around so many kids all day isn't conducive for me.

I am under the care of a medical team at Shimburg Breast Center at St. Joseph’s Hospital main and North locations.

The best thing that I did was listen to my body! If I ignored Larry, I would be looking at a possible terminal situation a year from now. I'm so grateful for my gynecologist too who believed me and ordered the necessary tests to further investigate.

Friends, get your mammograms, tests, and whatever else to keep yourself healthy! Do not dismiss anything!