Before her diagnosis, Christina was always the one helping others. A single mom, she poured her energy into her community as a Girl Scout leader and as a volunteer at the local firehouse. She loved gathering with friends for game nights and bonfires, cherishing time with the people she loves. When she moved to Pennsylvania, the pandemic forced her to put some of that on hold, but her heart for people never changed.
Her breast cancer journey began in an unexpected way. Christina calls herself her dog Lucy’s “support human”, saying that one evening, while resting together, Lucy kept laying her head across Christina’s chest, drawing attention to a lump that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. That moment led to testing and, ultimately, a diagnosis of two types of cancer: both hormone based and triple-negative, a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer.
The diagnosis upended her life in countless ways. Christina quickly exhausted all her paid time off just trying to keep up with treatments. Living paycheck to paycheck, she struggled to cover extra medical expenses. Just two days shy of her 50th birthday, steroid-induced diabetes sent her glucose level skyrocketing to 489, leaving her vision blurry and her body so weak she could no longer climb stairs. Eventually, she had to go on disability, which left her about $700 short each pay.
“It was very stressful,” Christina recalled. “If Vickie’s Angel Foundation hadn’t stepped in, I don’t know what would have happened. You came in clutch, releasing so many burdens for me.”
Christina first learned about Vickie’s Angel Foundation through her church and her Nurse Navigator at Apple Hill. We stepped in to pay her mortgage as she prepared for surgery, easing her stress so she could focus on healing and caring for her kids. Later, through our holiday program, we connected her family with Violet Hill United Methodist Church, which sponsored her children at Christmas.
“100% the Christmas experience stands out to me,” she said. “It allowed my kids to just be kids. That was so impactful.”
For Christina, hope comes from knowing that organizations like Vickie’s Angel Foundation exist. “It restores your faith in humanity,” she said. “There’s no way to give back what I’ve received.”
Today, after 16 rounds of chemotherapy, 20 radiation treatments, surgery, and now medication she’ll continue for years, Christina draws her strength from God and her children. She’s also turning her gratitude into action by leading an Angel Walk team called Christina’s Crabbie Cha Cha’s.
“I just want people to know how much of a difference this makes. Financially, emotionally, spiritually, it’s everything. No matter what I raise, it will never be enough to repay the support I’ve been given.”