April Dellefield (Bonewitz) is a beautiful 39 year old woman who was diagnosed with Stage 3 Triple Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) is the presence of abnormal cells inside a milk duct in the breast. DCIS is considered the earliest form of breast cancer. April's diagnosis is stage 3. In comparing stages, stage 2 breast cancer survival is about 93%, stage 3 is 72%, and metastasized (spread beyond the tumor to other areas of the body) or grade 4 breast cancer has about a 22% chance of survival. Keep in mind; most triple-negative breast cancers are stage 3 when found. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is considered an aggressive cancer because it grows quickly, is more likely to have spread at the time it's found, and is more likely to come back after treatment than other types of breast cancer. The outlook is generally not as good as it is for other types of breast cancer. For April, the cancer was also found in her lymph nodes, in close proximity to her breasts.

Chemotherapy is often recommended for treating triple negative breast cancer. Unlike most other types of breast cancer, triple negative breast cancer does not respond to the presence of certain hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, nor does it have an abnormally high level of HER2 receptors. Therefore, hormone therapy is largely ineffective for treatment purposes. Nevertheless, triple negative breast cancer often responds very well to chemotherapy.

An entire course of chemotherapy usually takes approximately three to six months to complete, and can be repeated as necessary. Invasive ductal carcinoma chemotherapy can be effective for treating many types of breast cancer, including: Triple negative breast cancer.

After chemotherapy, April will be receiving 30 days of daily radiation, followed by another round of immunotherapy. Provided her treatments are successful, the next step in her treatment plan is likely a double mastectomy.  A mastectomy is surgery to remove the breasts as a way to prevent breast cancer from returning. Radiation can also be used after mastectomy to kill any cancer cells that might remain and reduce the risk that the cancer may recur in the remaining tissues of the chest wall or lymph nodes.

April has begun chemotherapy however, is not able to afford to continue the process and the progress she has made. Like most chemo patients, she has lost her beautiful hair and with it, pieces of her identity. She has come too far in her fight to allow this cancer to claim yet another beautiful soul. She is not in this fight alone. She has a tremendous group of friends and family supporting her. However, as much as we all have tried, we alone cannot afford to supplement the financial means necessary to continue her treatment. In addition to medical treatment affordability, April is facing the overwhelming reality that the lease for the home she rents for herself, her boys and her granddaughter will end this March of 2023. With the excessive rise in home prices and rental properties, she faces an impossible situation considering the financial strain from her medical treatments in conjunction with the increase in rent to come.

Last year, April was promoted to management, allowing her the opportunity to support her family with one job. Unfortunately, due to chemo, being sick and the toll cancer is taking on her body, she has not been able to devote herself to her full-time responsibilities. As a result, she is struggling to support her family and afford the healthcare and treatments crucial to her chances of survival. Though April is currently still employed, however, she faces the likelihood of having to take short term leave to recover, which will impact her finances drastically.

April is strong and has done an amazing job of remaining positive and hopeful throughout her situation. Please help us take this load off of April and allow her the affordability to keep her home, support her family and get the treatments and procedures she needs to survive for her boys and granddaughter.

April has been a single mother to her two teenage boys since they were real littles. She has worked 2 and 3 jobs for as long as I can remember. She would often have to go straight from one job to another with only a quick nap in the parking lot of her next job. She has sacrificed so much for her boys to make sure that they did not have to go without. I kid you not when I tell you she has spent the better part of her late 20s and 30s roaming this earth as a zombie for those boys and often barely making ends meet. I cannot imagine what it must be like for her to work so hard all of these years and be so close to being able to ease back on her work load and redirect her energy to spending quality time with her boys as they become young adults capable of taking on responsibility, only to have her hopes crushed by this selfish cancer. April deserves that change to reap the benefits of her sacrifice for her boys and be awarded the opportunity to watch the fruits of her labor grow and mature. With the new addition of her beautiful baby granddaughter, April has everything to live for and look forward to.

Please consider this opportunity to join April's fight; our fight, and see first-hand the life changing blessing your donations can afford her life. I am begging you to please help me give my best friend, my sister, her best chance at beating breast cancer. Help me save April Dellefield (Bonewitz).

Cash app: $SaveApril

Venmo: @April-Dellefield

I understand the hesitation in taking a leap of faith in supporting and blessing a stranger.

I also understand that there are huge companies out there that advertise and ask for your donations to join the fight to cure cancer; and, in doing so, get a nice tax break. But let us be real here… we may never be able to cure cancer. But what we can absolutely do is join the fight of the individuals who are battling cancer every day and do not see a penny of those donations or are only receiving a small portion of what has managed to trickle down the filter.

Allow me to introduce you to my best friend and sister April Bonewitz. I first met April when we were about 17 years old. Our local church was having a young adult retreat to Tennessee. I remember arriving at the church just in time to load the bus. As I walked down the aisle I noticed this intimidatingly beautiful girl with the most perfect eyebrows. I smiled politely at her and she smiled, excitedly back. I sat just a couple seats down from her. In my bag were my mirror and tweezers because I desperately needed to do my eyebrows and, unlike this girl, my brows were untamed… just think Sasquatch.

With several hours ahead of us, I figured the bus ride would be a great time to do my eyebrows. But I couldn't help but want mine to look like hers! It took me about an hour to get the courage to ask for her help. I leaned forward saying “Excuse me, do you do your own eyebrows?” She said “Yes”, so I then asked her if she could do mine. She took one look at my eyebrows and immediately said yes but with excitement. We then sat together and talked the rest of the trip while she plucked away. By the time we arrived at our retreat destination, you would think we had been friends forever!

From that day forward, we were inseparable. It was always kind of funny seeing us together because April is about a foot taller than I am. We looked like the female version of the 1988 film “Twins” starring Danny DeVito and Arnold Shwarzenegger. April has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She has always been so positive, caring and just great to be around. We laughed all the time. You could hear her laughing form a mile away, haha. I can honestly tell you that I have never heard anyone speak an ill word of her. She was always so giving and generous; so much so that sometimes I joked about her being a Sugar Mama. She has been there for me, physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and everything more than I can count. I've always pictured us getting married at the same time, having kids the same ages and being neighbors forever. Plans did not work out that way but our friendship always remained close.

I have been blessed to have my best friend for 21 years strong; no matter the physical distance between us. In August of 2022, April had told me about feeling some lumps in her breasts and that she was going to get them checked out. I tried not to worry, but I was. We knew we had to wait for the results. Around the same time, I was pregnant and had been going through a very difficult time. I remember telling April how much I wished we lived closer because I needed her here with me so much.  We live about 8 hours apart so it isn't like we could just meet up for coffee and a hug.

On September 2nd, April received the call with her results. April was diagnosed with Stage 3 Triple Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. She did not tell me the news immediately because she knew what it would do to me. April worked nights. Instead of calling me, my best friend drove up to see me and tell me the news in person, knowing she had to be back at work that night. I was not expecting her visit but my husband knew she was coming. I was in the bathroom with the kids when I heard a knock at the door and my husband had let someone in. I stepped out and there she was! I immediately broke down in tears and gave her the biggest hug. I needed that hug more than anything. Oh man was I delighted to see her. It took her several hours to finally tell me, after seeing how happy I was, I don't blame her. When she finally did, my heart just sank. I just couldn't believe it. Of all people, she is the least deserving. Why her???