Her Story
In May of 2024, Chandler found out she was pregnant. This was the first of 3 pregnancies that led to an answer. The first pregnancy ended at 17 weeks with no real explanation. Chandler and her husband, Will were left heartbroken. With determination, Chandler and Will, continued their journey to grow their family only to have another miscarriage at the beginning of 2025 at 6 weeks.
After spending the summer of 2025 working with a fertility clinic, they were told “you are both healthy, sometimes miscarriages happen but don’t give up hope.” Then in August of 2025, they learned that she was pregnant again with a baby boy. 10 weeks later, Chandler took a genetic check to test the baby for genetic abnormalities- this test came back of “atypical findings of maternal origin” meaning something was wrong with the mothers DNA. This sent them into a tail spin to find out what it meant: blood work, full body MRI, biopsies, colonoscopy - all while pregnant and quite nerve racking.
After her colonoscopy and liver biopsy, Chandler was then sent to UCSF due to a suspicion of metastasis. UCSF is an industry leader in research and treatment of pregnant women in these situations. The day they arrived at UCSF for a consult, Chandler was diagnosed with Stage 4 Braf Mutated Colorectal Cancer that had spread to her liver and a few lymph nodes. They also found out that due to her malignancy being of BRAF mutation, chemotherapy alone would not work to fight it (the only safe way to fight cancer during pregnancy) - meaning they had to make the hard choice to terminate the pregnancy in order to save Chandlers life with the right treatment. For if she opted to continue the pregnancy, there was no guarantee for Chandler or the baby, and most likely neither of them would have survived.
The situation, gut wrenching and heartbreaking, also provided a sense of peace. They finally had an answer to why these past pregnancies couldn’t come to term - this provided an understanding as they started Chandler’s Healing Journey. With a heavy heart and courageous mind, Chandler began a brand new form of treatment for BRAF mutated Colorectal Cancer called the Breakwater Regimen. This treatment combines 4 drugs - 2 chemo infusions, 1 immunotherapy infusion and 1 daily oral chemo. This treatment was fast-tracked by the FDA in June of 2025, and Chandler was 1 of the only 3 patients to receive this treatment in the Truckee-Tahoe area. She is being treated at the Gene Upshaw Cancer Center at Tahoe Forrest Hospital in Truckee. Dr. Semrad, her oncologist, and the entire team of nurses have been simply unbelievable. They are a godsend and we feel so blessed to be able to receive treatment at such a phenomenal facility with incredible nurses.
Chandler is responding exceptionally well to this new regimen. She has completed 9 rounds of infusions and 2 scans, both showing continual decrease in tumor size and control of the disease. Some spots that showed in the very beginning aren’t even there anymore. Simply put: Chandler is Kicking Ass.
Chan is healing from this holistically and medicinally - using western medical guidance and adding in holistic practices that support immune function and cellular response. She and Will have had amazing support from friends and family who have helped with costs and allowed them to get Chandler an Infrared Sauna with a red light bar for red light therapy, a PEMF amethyst mat to help produce and protect good cells, a hot tub to soak and sooth her body after treatments and (coming soon, we hope!) a Hyperbaric Chamber to oxygenize her cells and give them the strength to fight along side the medicine. Chandler has been walking out in nature multiple times a week as well as lifting weights which brings her even more strength to use for healing. She is on a strict protocol diet that eliminates all food that would potentially “feed” the cancer and does everything to starve it.
This site was created to provide updates to our community as well as provide an opportunity for y’all to continue to donate and support Chandler on her healing journey. One of our best friends coined the term “SHE CHAN, SHE WILL”- and she was right on. Though this journey has been a lot to comprehend at times, Chandler and Will know their angels are watching over them and feel Gods presence daily. This is just the start of an amazing story. Thank you to each and every one of you for your continued thoughts and prayers. If anyone can get through this, it’s Chandler. She is strong willed and determined.
