Carly Ankrum
Thank you so much to everyone who has donated.
The response has been completely overwhelming, and with donations still coming in daily, I don't have the strength right now to reply to everyone individually.
I do intend to read every message myself when I have the energy, because each one means more to me than words can say.
Hi, my name is Carly. I'm 32 years old, a wife, and I've just been told I have Stage IV metastatic breast cancer.
My husband Billy is my entire world. We got married in November 2024. Eleven months later, our whole life changed. And right now, I'm fighting for the chance to stay with him for as long as I possibly can.
A few months ago, I was a healthy 32-year-old newlywed, building a life with the man I love. It started with a dull pain in my back. I thought I'd pulled a muscle at pilates. I went to doctors, tried physical therapy, tried pain management. Nothing worked. By October 2025, the pain forced me to the ER.
Bloodwork, biopsies of my breast and spine, PET and CT scans. Then the oncologist walked into the room and told me and Billy the words that changed everything: Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Spread to all of my bones. Spread to my liver. A fracture in my spine.
She looked at me and said: "You did everything right. You just have bad luck."
Since then, my life has been countless appointments, PET and CT scans, MRIs, bloodwork, liquid biopsies, radiation of bone metastases, oral chemotherapy (Xeloda), and infusions. On top of the cancer itself, I've fought through severe fatigue, esophagitis, pneumonitis, bone fractures, and hospitalizations.
I'm not ready to accept this as the end of my story.
Why we're fighting for something more
My medical team is doing everything they can to slow the progression, stabilize the disease, and preserve my quality of life. New treatment plans, new infusions, new scans every few weeks. Some of these treatments give me more time. Some give me hope.
But there's another fight running alongside the cancer: the insurance denials, the out-of-pocket costs, the medications and procedures that aren't fully covered. Every time we think we've caught up, another bill arrives, or another claim gets denied.
A recent scan showed the cancer has now spread throughout my liver. My tumor markers have jumped significantly. My medical team is reworking my treatment plan urgently, running new tests, trying to stay ahead of the disease.
Every week matters now. Every treatment window matters. Every dollar we don't have to worry about is a day I can actually focus on staying alive.
Where every dollar goes
This is exactly what we need to fund, broken down transparently so you know where every donation goes:
Out-of-pocket infusions and oral chemotherapy (Xeloda + immunotherapy cycles insurance denies): $28,500
Advanced imaging (PET, MRI, liquid biopsies not fully covered): $12,000
Specialist consultations at leading cancer centers: $8,500
Molecular tumor profiling (to guide next-line treatment options): $6,500
Travel and lodging for specialty center visits: $4,500
Lost income while I focus on treatment: $15,000
Total treatment cost: $75,000
Any amount raised beyond this goal will go directly to supporting Billy and me through the next phase of treatment, and to helping other families facing the same devastating diagnosis.
What I'm actually asking for
I'm not asking you to cure my cancer. No one can promise me that.
I'm asking for more time.
Time to grow old with the man I married. Time to celebrate our first anniversary in November. Time for the ordinary Tuesdays, the birthdays, the walks, the coffees, the future we planned when we said "I do" less than a year ago. Time to keep being the wife, the daughter, the sister, and the friend that everyone in my life knows.
That's what your donation buys. Not a miracle. Time.
How you can help
If you can donate, even $5 helps. I mean that literally. If everyone who sees this gives just $5, we get there fast. There's no amount too small.
If you can't donate, please share. Sharing this page with one person who can is worth just as much. Every share puts my story in front of someone who might be the reason we reach the goal.
Thank you
The messages we've received have genuinely carried Billy and me through the hardest weeks of our lives. We read every single one.
Thank you for reading my story, for standing beside us, and for helping me fight for more time with the man I married and everyone I love.
With all our love and gratitude,
Carly and Billy xx
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