UPDATE: Thank you all who have supported us thus far! We appreciate it more than you know. This is a stressful time, and your monetary support and prayers have made it so much more tolerable! Thank you!!
I finished chemo in early April and had surgery in late April. All signs pointed to no cancer remaining, so we were all shocked (even the docs) when after the surgery the original tumor and lymph nodes all came back positive. I was quickly scheduled for a second surgery in May, this time a mastectomy, which was successful – they think they got all the cancer. I had several weeks to recover, even a couple weeks where I felt normal! Then I had to start up another type of chemo – more a targeted therapy delivered by chemo – in July. This one will go until next April! I also started radiation late July, so I get the fun of doing both at the same time. It’s taking its toll. The hardest thing has been to not have the energy to take my kids to do things. They’re begging to go to the zoo, the pool, etc. and I just have so much fatigue. One of the most helpful things in this journey has been the alternative treatments I’ve been able to do on the side. They help lessen the side effects of the treatments, and protect my healthy cells from long term damage. However, they’re super expensive. We’ve managed so far, thanks to support from many friends and acquaintances, but our funds are running thin again. After all these cancer treatments, I’ll be able to do less and less of the pricey alternative things, but it’s crucial I do them all now. I appreciate anything anyone can give, and especially appreciate prayers! I will keep your families and intentions in my prayers as well. God bless you.
y 
Hi everyone – this is a friend of Michelle’s writing, because Michelle is too sweet to come right out and say how urgently she and her family actually need financial help right now. But I have no such compunctions! 🙂
Michelle (Guinan) Gonzalez (University of Dallas Class of 2001) was recently diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, and it has spread to her lymph nodes.
She has 5 children (her youngest is 4!) and a loving husband depending on her and praying desperately for her recovery.
Praise God, the doctors say the type of breast cancer she has IS very treatable, so she has already started chemo, and is scheduled for surgery and radiation treatments as well.
But Michelle is courageously fighting this thing from every possible angle to give herself the very best chance of recovery, so she has also started seeing another oncologist who pairs the best practices of conventional cancer treatment with cutting-edge cancer treatments not commonly used in the US but that have been found to be successful in other parts of the world, as well as natural remedies that support the effects of the chemo and minimize the discomfort of treatments. This is going to be a long journey of treatment and recovery, and with all those young kiddos needing her, every little bit of extra help makes a huge difference.
So here’s the financial part. Michelle and her family are going to have to pay her full out of pocket maximum for her chemo, surgery, and radiation. That’s a big blow to anyone’s budget, especially with 5 children.
And on top of that, those extra alternative remedies to support her through chemo and beyond are not covered by insurance, and they are EXPENSIVE. But Michelle’s family wants to make sure they are throwing everything possible at this thing, and keeping her as comfortable as possible while they do so – and so it’s worth every penny.
This is where you, Michelle’s circle of family and friends, come in.
Michelle needs your support. She hates to ask for money, but that is the single most helpful and loving thing you can give her right now to support her in her fight against breast cancer. Right now she’s got the stress of the cancer, the treatments, taking care of her family, AND the financial worry. If we can just lift at least the financial burden off of her, imagine the relief she’ll feel to just be able to focus on healing, and not whether she’ll be able to AFFORD to heal!!!
They’ve been paying for it all themselves so far, but it’s already taking a scary bite out of their finances. And even with that fear and stress and worry, here’s all Michelle wrote when trying to ask for financial help from us:
“Hi everyone, hate to have to set one of these up, but if you have even a little to spare to offset our medical costs, we’d very much appreciate it. Looks like in addition to our out of pocket max (which will likely be double this amt) if I do any alternative therapies on the side that will cost extra. No worries though, if you can’t give. Prayers are so much more important! (And free!) and I know our Heavenly Father is super rich and will provide. Thank you for all your prayers and support.”
You guys.
PLEASE join me in supporting Michelle and her family through her treatment and recovery. She is putting her full faith in God and has told me that He has already put so many amazing people into her path miraculously these past couple months to help her – please prayerfully consider giving as much as you can to help, and you can be the next miracle that Michelle and her family so desperately need.
PLEASE pray for her and her family, and if you live near her in Gretna, Nebraska, PLEASE also consider bringing her family a meal or helping out in some other way.
If you know Michelle, you know she would absolutely do the same for you.
Thank you for your support, and please share this link everywhere you can think of – Facebook, email groups you’re in, your parish, anywhere you think people might be willing to help, financially or with prayer!!
If we all rally around Michelle and her family during this time of hardship, she’ll have a much easier path to full recovery. Let’s get to work now smoothing that path as much as we possibly can.
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️