Our beloved friend Courtney Musser is one of the kindest and most compassionate people ever to walk this earth. She's an incredible acupuncturist who is dedicated to her patients, a loving dog mom, and an adventurous rock climber. She's got a zest for life and shows up every day with a big grin that can't help but be contagious. You may (or may not) know that Courtney was diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer last month (July 2024). Courtney has a strong family history of breast cancer, and when she discovered a lump during her self-exam earlier this summer, she knew to get checked ASAP. Thankfully she sought care right away because her diagnosis came early enough that her prognosis is good. Still, this diagnosis is devastating, especially for a 30-year-old young woman with her whole life ahead of her. Courtney faces a significant journey to treat and beat this aggressive cancer. She is looking at 6 months of chemo, followed by radiation, a year of targeted antibody therapy, then 5 years of preventative medication. This journey will certainly affect her fertility and egg quality, and Courtney very much wants to have children. The current plan is to use the facilities at UCSF to quickly do an egg retrieval to preserve ("bank") them for her future chance at having children. I've been so impressed at Courtney's strong mindset and ability to jump into action assembling her integrative healthcare team and reproductive fertility care at UCSF. This is our Courtney – she's capable and organized. However, she's also deeply exhausted and overwhelmed. Things are moving fast, which is good, but it's a lot, as you can imagine. This next year is an important one for us to make this healing journey as smooth as possible for Courtney. A bit down the road, we'll let you know how to support her with meals during treatment weeks. For now, we need to gather funds to help Courtney for these three important purposes: Time off work to heal and recover from treatment. As you probably know, Courtney's work is taking care of her patients, and she will need to reduce this load while under her own treatment. Courtney will have medical bills not covered by her government insurance, and we can help ease this burden. Preserving her eggs for the future (not covered by government insurance) has to be done quickly so Courtney's cancer treatment can start ASAP. Time is of the essence here. The financial goal we created here may change during this next year. In part, it depends on how the treatment goes, how Courtney feels, and how much she is able to work. Let's ease the stress for her and make it happen fast. We will give updates here as we go along, but Courtney is also very open and happy to talk about her situation with all of you. Don't hesitate to reach out to ask her questions and give support. She does ask that you don't ask questions of her close friends and family, to respect their own process. Just reach out to her directly! Another way you can help is to share this fundraiser with friends, family, and anyone you think may be able to support our dear friend. Courtney's Venmo is @Courtney_Musser, if you prefer to donate her directly. In gratitude for your loving support, Laura Paris (Courtney's friend and office partner)
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