Sydney has been diagnosed with a low-grade glioma — a likely cancerous brain tumor located in her right temporal lobe. Her doctors have recommended surgery soon to remove it. This will involve a hospital stay and several weeks of recovery time. This diagnosis came just after Sydney’s 23rd birthday, turning what should have been a time of celebration into one filled with fear, hospital visits, and hard decisions. Despite everything, she continues to face each step with the same strength and grace that define her — surrounded by the love of her fiancée, Mikaela, and their two beloved pets — a cheerful dog named Sunshine and a mischievous cat named Beetlejuice — who bring comfort and love through this difficult time. She is also surrounded by the love and support of her parents, siblings, and family throughout this journey. Sydney is a first-year law student at Villanova, passionate about justice and determined to make a difference in the world. She has spent years working toward her dream of becoming an attorney, but now she must temporarily set that dream aside as she faces brain surgery to remove the tumor. Because of the surgery and recovery, Sydney will have to take a medical leave from school. Depending on how quickly she recovers, this means she may lose her student loan refund check — the money she relies on to pay her rent and daily living expenses. On top of that, she is facing mounting medical bills, follow-up appointments, and the cost of being unable to work while she heals. Anyone who knows Sydney knows her strength, her kindness, and her quiet determination. Even in the face of fear, she continues to look forward with hope — not just for recovery, but for the chance to return to school, finish her degree, and keep building the future she’s worked so hard for. Sydney’s friends and family know her as someone who never gives up — a person who finds light in the darkest moments and who believes, like her favorite artist Taylor Swift, that we can still find beauty and poetry in the hard parts of life. All donations will go directly toward rent, medical bills, transportation to appointments, and daily living expenses while Sydney recovers from surgery. Every dollar, share, and message of support means the world to her, Mikaela, and her family as they face this together. Thank you for helping Sydney heal — and for giving her the chance to focus on what matters most right now: getting better.