Chemotherapy and Labor

Excerpt from a letter written in May 2018.

I want to thank Living Journeys for the financial grant again this year. I know that there are many requests from members of the community who also depend on your organization and we feel very privileged to receive your support.

Michael and I are out of the shock phase of his cancer and into the living everyday with it phase. As you know, his myeloma is not curable at this time and will be a part of our daily life always. We often talk about how appropriate the name “Living Journeys “ is for the cancer support group.

We welcomed our second baby (Reo Villanueva) into the world this past week. This picture is from that day; Michael was getting chemo in Gunnison on that morning. As he got his IV placed to deliver his life-sustaining monoclonal antibody chemo treatment, across the hospital I had an IV placed to start my induction of labor. I was very emotional and I just started crying.

At first, I thought it was because I was sitting in the hospital bed starting my labor without Michael present because he was hooked up to a 4-hour chemo infusion across the hospital…..but soon I realized the tears were actually pure gratefulness because Michael is still here with us…..still here to watch his second son be born, still here to raise his first son.

A year ago, I was unsure these things would be possible. Again the words “Living Journeys” popped into my head.

Thank you.

-Dr Laura Villanueva, full-time working mother, caretaker, and Gunnison Valley resident

Cancer patients and their families in Gunnison County receive financial grants, emotional support, healthy homemade food, and more from Living Journeys.

Unfortunately the need is growing and we need YOUR help.

In 2021, we served more clients than we did in all of 2017, 2018, and 2019 combined.