17550394_1513569561.8412_funddescription.jpg _{Source: Kenneth Messey}

I have known Kenneth Massey for years now and have developed quite a meaningful friendship over our shared interest ― Arts. He has been so good, helpful, encouraging, supportive, and all-around kind to me; pushing me to continue pursuing arts. When I was happily drawing last year from June-August, I remember writing down his words of encouragement in my sketchbook which only shows how much I value and respect him as a person.

"ABOUT ART COMPETITIONS ― Moving forward to me is of greater value than winning. You will get what you want, but imagine this is a marathon and not a 100 meter dash. You will meet steep inclines, adversity and heartache. Push through it all; even when you are desperate and it feels like all hope is lost. You will be okay." ― Kenneth Massey

When he started posting updates about his wife's battle against cancer, it was the time that I wasn't getting paid by my previous company and eventually I quit my job to go back to Philippines for good. The timing wasn't right and I hated that I couldn't donate any amount to him as support. All throughout 2017, I have read the ups and downs of his wife's battle, and just when we thought everything's going right, Heather's health collapsed once again just before Christmas, escalating her cancer diagnosis to stage 4.

_{Kenneth and Heather}

Heather and I aren't Facebook friends, but I have known her battle from reading Kenneth's updates and by visiting her profile from time to time. She is a true definition of a graceful woman I am dreaming of becoming ― kind, just, eloquent, (a) fighter, positive, brave, and compassionate.

I asked Kenneth about the whole story of Heather's battle, and as much as I want to relay it myself, I think quoting Kenneth's words will be the best...

If you have the time to write the story, she is a scientist, mother of two young children, that bravely exposed herself to radiation and mutagens in hopes of finding a cure for autoimmune diseases. In November of 2016, she discovered a lump in her breast. Doctors were very positive because we detected cancer at its very early stage and removed it in December of 2016 and immediately treated with chemotherapy. One of the surgeries resulted in a punctured lung that led to a lung collapse and heart problems that nearly caused her to die in January of 2017. Unfortunately, the chemotherapy did not match the rare genetic profile of this extremely rare variant of cancer, so it survived and grew during chemotherapy, prompting a more aggressive approach including a mastectomy, radiation, and different chemotherapy that somewhat matched the genetic profile of this cancer variant and is usually only given to patients with advanced stage cancer. We were told that surely this time the cancer was eliminated. Unfortunately, in December of 2017, a PET scan revealed that a single dormant cancer cell (dormant cells are immune to chemotherapy) survived and lodged itself in her left lung, sparking a new tumor and escalating the diagnosis to stage 4. We went from celebrating the end of her cancer treatment to discussing funeral arrangements. We don't want to give up and are making a last ditch effort to beat cancer. We have two young children and cannot let it win. So we need funds to take her to Houston where there are doctors that specialize in extreme cases like hers. Any help that we can get to help her win against cancer or at least be alive to see our youngest daughter finish high school is greatly appreciated.

I remember my initial reaction upon realizing that I have #steemit now ― I cried happy tears because I can finally help my good friend and his family. I know and I believe in this community so much that I am positive this will touch the hearts of many to donate and help.

I am humbly asking each and everyone of you to donate any amount to their GoFundMe account or you can upvote this post because all proceeds will be donated to Kenneth and Heather. (I will make another post about the transaction and all for transparency after the payout of this post, and of course after I send all the collected amount to Kenneth.)