Anna-Maria Toby drawing on faith and community

For five years, Anna-Maria Toby has been battling stage-4 breast cancer, a diagnosis she never imagined would become her own. Now, following further progression of the disease, the communications professional is urgently seeking $7 million for specialised radiation therapy in Florida through fundraising efforts, including a GoFundMe campaign, in hopes of getting another chance to fight the disease.

What began with the discovery of a lump during a routine medical examination has unfolded into years of treatment, mounting financial strain and life-threatening complications. Yet, despite the setbacks, Toby has refused to surrender hope. The targeted radiation therapy, which she said is unavailable locally, has been recommended by her radiation oncologist, who believes the approach could offer a chance at remission based on her previous responses to treatment.

“The most critical step is to get the targeted radiation therapy. Everything else is secondary,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.