For those of you who don’t know me, I want to open up and share what’s been happening in my life so you can better understand my journey.
First off, let me say—life is beautiful. Never forget that, no matter how hard it gets.
But life hasn’t exactly been kind to me. I’m 31 years old and I’ve had to face more battles than anyone should in a lifetime. I lost my mommo—my best friend—when I was 23. She fought breast cancer that metastasized to her bones and eventually throughout her body. Doctors gave her only 2–3 years to live, but she held on for 9. She was the strongest woman I’ve ever known, and she taught me how to be tough—for her and for myself.
When I was 28, I found myself fighting the same kind of monster. Mine turned out to be brain cancer. My tumor is wrapped around my brainstem, making it inoperable. Doctors told me, word for word, that if they tried to remove it, I’d be left a vegetable. In March 2023, I underwent a brain biopsy, which left me with permanent numbness on the right side of my face, constant dizziness, and painful headaches. Soon after, I went through six weeks of radiation, five days a week. I dropped down to 80–90 pounds, was throwing up all day, lost some of my hair, and the dizziness only got worse. It feels like that awful spinning sensation when you’ve had too much to drink—except it never stops, not even when I close my eyes. There’s no “off switch.”
All I wish for is a little normalcy again. My latest MRI showed that my grade 2 astrocytoma has started growing rapidly—it increased by two centimeters in just a few months. That means the next stage of this tumor will cause paralysis, loss of swallowing and speech, and eventually make me unable to move or care for myself.
But if you know me, you know I don’t give up easily. I’m doing everything I can to find a treatment, and I WILL beat this. I’ve always fought for what I want, and this time is no different.
This is, without question, the scariest and most surreal thing I’ve ever gone through. Some days, it doesn’t even feel real. But I know one thing with absolute certainty—if I can get this treatment, I will overcome this.
I just want to live through another kayaking season, go on more hikes, watch my best friend become a mom and be a part of that baby’s life, celebrate my friends getting married, maybe even have a wedding of my own someday—and most of all, I need to be here for my baby Kaylie, my little “woofie.” I have too much to fight for.
To everyone who’s reached out with kind words—thank you. Your love means more than you will ever know. I will not let this thing take over my body. Let’s make this treatment happen and BEAT this thing together.
