We are Amy's friends, Amy Hass and Mandy Friend. We are writing to share some news and ask for support. Given the suddenness of this, Amy and Aaron have not had a chance to share personally with everyone, but they very much wanted everyone to know and to express their utmost gratitude for the overwhelming support they have received in just the last week. Amy began experiencing nerve pain in her back at the end of December, 2023. After it failed to improve after a month in PT, her doctor ordered an MRI, which was February 8th. She was promptly admitted to the hospital. She was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and began chemotherapy on February 16th. While her treatment plan is still evolving based on test results and how she tolerates the chemo, the plan is for 6 rounds of chemo to be completed by the end of the summer. After that, Amy's team will evaluate the next steps. And while this type of cancer doesn't have a perfect cure rate, her doctor is hopeful about a successful remission. As you can imagine, Amy and Aaron were shocked and devastated by this news - most importantly, how this would impact Eleanor, Clara, and Abigail. They know they face some challenging months ahead with keeping a sense of normalcy for the girls as Amy faces lots of hospital time, treatment side effects, and recovery. To that end, they are asking for your support in the following ways if you are able. The requested days and details are listed on the linked calendar: - Meal donations, so Amy and Aaron can focus their energy on spending time with their daughters. - Driving the girls and accompanying them to/from activities on Amy's isolation days. From Amy and Aaron: We are so overwhelmed with the amount of love and support that has poured in since we were able to start sharing this news. We are extraordinarily humbled and grateful by how many people have reached out offering encouragement, thoughtful words, and practical support. We are not ashamed to take you up on it, as we know our focus needs to be on helping Amy manage treatment and helping us to continue to parent our young children. If we don't text you back right away, please know it is nothing personal, we're just trying to navigate this emotional toll and figure out what we need. We know this is a long game, and we would love if you are able to check in and check the calendar periodically over the next year as we know our needs will change. We are grateful to be able to rely on our community to sustain us not just now, but through the long months ahead. We are trying to stay positive and despite so many unknowns at this time, truly cannot express the gratitude we feel for all of our loved ones. Take care of yourselves too!! An extraordinary thank-you to Amy's parents, Barbara and Allan Cohen, and our friends, Mandy and Greg Friend and Amy and Ryan Hass, who have all mobilized at lightning speed to make our lives function since February 9th. Non-rhetorically, we could not do this without you. All our love, Aaron and Amy
MEALS: Amy is vegan (and allergic to bell peppers), the girls are vegetarians, and Aaron eats everything. - Vegan - Plant-based foods only. All fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains (including gluten), and legumes are great! Please, no meat, dairy, eggs, or honey. - Vegetarian - No meat, but all vegan foods plus dairy, eggs, and honey are okay. Amy would like to eat nutrient-rich, minimally-processed foods to give her the best chance at recovery and minimizing chemo side effects. Home-cooked or easy-to-assemble meals are strongly preferred - but if you are sending love from afar, gift cards like Door Dash and Grub Hub work too! In keeping with chemo's notorious weight-loss properties, Amy would love options for added calories (think olive oil, vegan butter, avocados, etc.) as well as high-quality vegan protein with each meal. Vegan proteins include things like beans, lentils, legumes, tofu, nuts, seeds, seitan, tempeh, and whole grains. Trader Joe's and Jewel carry all of these except seitan, which we can only find at Whole Foods. Please try to avoid some of the more processed vegan alternatives, like pepperoni and deli meat. Please send enough food for 2 dinners (2 adults + 3 kids each meal) For delivered meals: Please drop off at the door next to the garage 5:15-5:30pm if possible. If that time doesn't work, please text Aaron a day ahead of time to coordinate an alternate plan (937-245-0110). 1433 Blackthorn Dr., Glenview. For gift cards, please email to Aaron by the morning of your date at [email protected] As Amy’s immune system tanks, her doctor has warned about food safety as typical germs in food and food prep situations can make her quite ill. Please: - Do not prepare food for Amy if you are ill (even a little bit!) Wash your hands and all cooking supplies thoroughly before cooking - Wear a mask when preparing food - Wash all produce thoroughly and check for dirt, bugs, and spoilage - NO RAW broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, or raspberries, as these foods have too many nooks and crannies where dirt can hide. All of these foods COOKED are safe (and they are some of Amy’s favorites!) DRIVING THE GIRLS: The times on the calendar are the times you will need to arrive at Amy and Aaron's house to pick up their car and the time you will drop the girls back off at home. If your car is already equipped with the needed seat(s), you are welcome to use your own car: Eleanor - regular seat; Clara - seat-only booster; Abigail - backed booster The calendar events have specific instructions for each event. Please reach out to Aaron with questions (937-245-0110).