PORTLAND, Oregon — A Northeast Portland family is dealing with challenge after challenge, all stemming from the same cause: cancer.
"It's been tough. But you know every day, one foot in front of the other," said Deeandrea Menefee.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago.
"I'm really scared,” Menefee said. “But I'm just trying to keep it all together for my kids.”
Menefee hasn’t been able to work since May. Her savings has dried up, and she has struggled to provide for her two kids and pay the mortgage on her house.
She has lived in the home since she was in second-grade, when her mother purchased the house. It's the only Black-owned home on the block, Menefee said.
A few years ago, Menefee’s mother passed away from cancer. The home is her legacy, Menefee said.
In 2018, Menefee also lost her father to cancer. And a year ago, her son's father, Nate Schregardus, who coached their son Jaydon’s basketball team, was diagnosed with stage four penile cancer.
"I was born to use my life to touch other people's lives,” Schregardus told KGW in May. And I just want to be able to continue to do that."
He continued to touch others' lives until he died on Thursday.
"It's hard because you can't, I can't protect my kid from stuff like that,” Menefee said. “You know what I mean, the only thing you can kind of do is be there for them."
Almost a third of women who are diagnosed with cancer have breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. The median age is 62, but Menefee is only 33.
"She has a 5-year-old son," said Andy Royal McCandless, the founder of Michelle’s Love.
The nonprofit helps single parents battling cancer by paying mortgages, cleaning homes and providing meals.
“If you are sick and you cannot pay your bills, and you are going to chemo and you have young children, how are you supposed to pay your bills?” Royal McCandless said.
In less than three weeks, Menefee will have a mastectomy. She hopes to be back working by March. Until then, the nonprofit will help her recover and hold on to her home until she can get back on her feet.
“Maybe, just maybe it’ll offer her a little bit of relief,” McCandless said.
If you’d like to get involved with Michelle’s Love, you can visit their website for more information.