Have you ever wondered how much a single heart can carry before it finally breaks? Most of us complain when our coffee is cold or when we’re stuck in traffic.

We talk about "the future" like it’s a guarantee. But imagine being 24 years old, just starting to find your voice, your style, your place in the world, and being told that your body is at war with itself. That was the reality for Janelle who in 2010, was handed a diagnosis of Stage 2 Breast Cancer.

Think back to who you were sixteen years ago. Think of all the life you’ve lived since then. Now, imagine if every single one of those days was lived in the shadow of a cancer diagnosis.

This isn’t just a story about cancer. It’s a story about a woman who refused to let her soul be eclipsed by a medical report. For sixteen years, she has been running a marathon that most of us wouldn't have the strength to walk. By 2012, the cancer had spread, and suddenly, the "long-term" wasn't a promise anymore, it was a fight she had to win every single morning.

But here is where the story becomes a miracle.

Despite the treatments, the scans, and the constant weight of "what if," she and her husband decided that their love was bigger than any illness. They decided that they were going to be parents. They froze her eggs, protecting a piece of their future, and waited for a moment of stability. They found an amazing surrogate, a person who stepped in to help them carry a dream that seemed impossible.

And then, on July 4, 2024, a day the world celebrates independence, she found her own. She held her identical twin boys for the first time. After fourteen years of waiting, after a decade and a half of needles and hospitals, she was finally a mother. She was holding the physical proof that hope isn't just a word; it’s a living, breathing reality.

But life can be incredibly cruel. Just as she was learning the scent of her babies' heads, just as she was settling into the beautiful, exhausted haze of new motherhood, the ground shifted again. This past August, a seizure changed everything. The cancer had spread to her brain.

Can you imagine that? The highest mountain and the deepest valley, hitting you all at once.

Most people would look at sixteen years of fighting and say, "I’m done. I have nothing left to give." But when we asked her about her dream, she didn't ask for a vacation (nothing wrong with that) . She didn't ask for something for herself. She asked for a chance to go to New Orleans this March for the Young Survival Coalition Summit.

She wants to be there because, in her own words, she is a "long time thriver." Think about that phrase. She doesn't call herself a victim. She doesn't even just call herself a survivor. She is a THRIVER. And she wants to stand in a room full of warriors who are terrified, who are just starting their own battles, and she wants to be their lighthouse.

"I hope that by sharing my experiences with more people, I can help even one person." Janelle

She has spent sixteen years gathering wisdom, strength, and a unique kind of light that only comes from being tested by fire. Now, she wants to use that light to "jump start" a new mission. She wants to show the world that even with brain mets, even with a sixteen-year history of cancer, you can still be a mom. You can still be a leader. You can still be the hope that someone else is desperately praying for.

We’ve already sent her the €500 grant to get her to that summit. We’ve given her the wings to get to New Orleans so she can stand on that stage and change lives. But our mission isn't over.

There are three more warriors just like her waiting for their dreams to be heard. Three more women who are fighting every day for a "tomorrow" that we often take for granted. They aren't asking for much, just a little bit of support to fulfill a dream that makes their quality of life better, a wish that reminds them they are more than a patient.

She’s going to New Orleans to start a fire. She’s going there to prove that a diagnosis isn't a dead end, it’s just a different path.

When you hear a story like this, you realize that we aren't just sending funds. We are validating a life. We are saying, "We see you. We hear you. And your dream matters." She is going to help "even one person," and by supporting this mission, you are becoming part of that chain of hope.

Thank you for seeing her, for hearing her story, and for proving that even after sixteen years of "no," we can still come together to say "yes." Janelle is going to change lives at that summit, and she’s taking a piece of your generosity with her.

Have you ever wondered how much a single heart can carry before it finally breaks? Most of us complain when our coffee is cold or when we’re stuck in traffic.

We talk about "the future" like it’s a guarantee. But imagine being 24 years old, just starting to find your voice, your style, your place in the world, and being told that your body is at war with itself. That was the reality for Janelle who in 2010, was handed a diagnosis of Stage 2 Breast Cancer.

Think back to who you were sixteen years ago. Think of all the life you’ve lived since then. Now, imagine if every single one of those days was lived in the shadow of a cancer diagnosis.

This isn’t just a story about cancer. It’s a story about a woman who refused to let her soul be eclipsed by a medical report. For sixteen years, she has been running a marathon that most of us wouldn't have the strength to walk. By 2012, the cancer had spread, and suddenly, the "long-term" wasn't a promise anymore, it was a fight she had to win every single morning.

But here is where the story becomes a miracle.

Despite the treatments, the scans, and the constant weight of "what if," she and her husband decided that their love was bigger than any illness. They decided that they were going to be parents. They froze her eggs, protecting a piece of their future, and waited for a moment of stability. They found an amazing surrogate, a person who stepped in to help them carry a dream that seemed impossible.

And then, on July 4, 2024, a day the world celebrates independence, she found her own. She held her identical twin boys for the first time. After fourteen years of waiting, after a decade and a half of needles and hospitals, she was finally a mother. She was holding the physical proof that hope isn't just a word; it’s a living, breathing reality.

But life can be incredibly cruel. Just as she was learning the scent of her babies' heads, just as she was settling into the beautiful, exhausted haze of new motherhood, the ground shifted again. This past August, a seizure changed everything. The cancer had spread to her brain.

Can you imagine that? The highest mountain and the deepest valley, hitting you all at once.

Most people would look at sixteen years of fighting and say, "I’m done. I have nothing left to give." But when we asked her about her dream, she didn't ask for a vacation (nothing wrong with that) . She didn't ask for something for herself. She asked for a chance to go to New Orleans this March for the Young Survival Coalition Summit.

She wants to be there because, in her own words, she is a "long time thriver." Think about that phrase. She doesn't call herself a victim. She doesn't even just call herself a survivor. She is a THRIVER. And she wants to stand in a room full of warriors who are terrified, who are just starting their own battles, and she wants to be their lighthouse.

"I hope that by sharing my experiences with more people, I can help even one person." Janelle

She has spent sixteen years gathering wisdom, strength, and a unique kind of light that only comes from being tested by fire. Now, she wants to use that light to "jump start" a new mission. She wants to show the world that even with brain mets, even with a sixteen-year history of cancer, you can still be a mom. You can still be a leader. You can still be the hope that someone else is desperately praying for.

We’ve already sent her the €500 grant to get her to that summit. We’ve given her the wings to get to New Orleans so she can stand on that stage and change lives. But our mission isn't over.

There are three more warriors just like her waiting for their dreams to be heard. Three more women who are fighting every day for a "tomorrow" that we often take for granted. They aren't asking for much, just a little bit of support to fulfill a dream that makes their quality of life better, a wish that reminds them they are more than a patient.

She’s going to New Orleans to start a fire. She’s going there to prove that a diagnosis isn't a dead end, it’s just a different path.

When you hear a story like this, you realize that we aren't just sending funds. We are validating a life. We are saying, "We see you. We hear you. And your dream matters." She is going to help "even one person," and by supporting this mission, you are becoming part of that chain of hope.

Thank you for seeing her, for hearing her story, and for proving that even after sixteen years of "no," we can still come together to say "yes." Janelle is going to change lives at that summit, and she’s taking a piece of your generosity with her.