Dear Friends and Family, Islanders, and Supporters,
We are reaching out with humble hearts to share the story of our dear friend, Victoria Compton, whose life took an unexpected and distressing turn.
Victoria has been fighting for our community for years, and now she’s fighting to win her biggest battle yet – against HER2 cancer, an aggressive type of breast cancer. We created a GoFundMe campaign at https://www.gofundme.com/manage/StandWithVictoria to rally support and financial assistance for her during this formidable and difficult time.
Life has pushed Victoria into an arena where her every ounce of strength, hope, and resilience are being tested. The financial burden and logistics alone of battling cancer are overwhelming and while insurance covers some costs, her out-of-pocket costs have been and will be significant. These include copays and coinsurance costs for the medical care she needs – surgery, an entire year of chemo, trips to the ER, tests for heart damage that the chemo can cause, radiation – plus travel to the mainland including housing.
The treatment and travel are emotionally and financially draining and physically exhausting. As a devoted single mother in the midst of this daunting journey, Victoria stands as a beacon of strength for her beloved daughter Lily, their dog Abby, and her 88-year-old mother, whom she’s also helping to care for.
An islander for over 30 years, Victoria has always been committed to serving her community. At the nonprofit EDC, Victoria has helped hundreds of our workers and business owners, assisting people in the Pandemic and the Friday Harbor Fire, and leading community initiatives like workforce trades & tech programs. As a mom, she raised funds to make Friday Harbor Elementary more secure, and to keep our kids safer.
She did – and continues to do – all of this work, and more, because she loves her community so much. She works every day of the year to help us.
At the beginning of this journey, we suggested a GoFundMe campaign to Victoria, but she said she didn’t want to bother people and would be embarrassed. We told her we would have a hard time doing the same, however, we’re more than comfortable stepping in for her support.
We hope for an outpouring of support to alleviate the mounting burden of expenses, allowing Victoria to concentrate her boundless energy on healing, continuing her work at our EDC, and also caring for Lily, Abby, and her mom.
While many wonderful friends and neighbors have graciously stepped up with meals, local pilot rides to chemo appointments, and rides to work and school for her daughter, additional costs are significant and will be for months to come as she goes through radiation treatment and the year of chemo. She is so grateful for everyone’s support – and now we need to help her more.
Please join us in this crucial mission to lighten Victoria’s load, buoy her spirits, and tangibly express our collective love and support for this community-minded woman, who has worked hard for many years to assist our workers, kids, and entrepreneurs.
If we all pull together, we can help, so that she can get back to work for our community and for our families.
With heartfelt gratitude for your compassion and generosity,
Alli Moalli, Amanda Azous, Taylor Bruce and Anji Ringzin
#StandWithVictoria #TogetherForVictoria
https://www.gofundme.com/manage/StandWithVictoria
