Hazel Cox
Jeehye has built her life around helping other people. As an instructor with the nonprofit Marshmallow Minds, her dream job is bringing math, science and STEAM classes to children in under-resourced schools across San Jose. She is the person who steps forward when someone else needs care. Now she is the one who needs a community to step forward for her.
In early June, excruciating abdominal pain sent Jeehye to an emergency room in the United States. Doctors believed a degenerating uterine fibroid was causing the pain and said it needed to be removed. She traveled to Korea for the operation, expecting surgery to close a frightening chapter.
The procedure was successful, but the pathology results changed everything. Doctors found an abnormality in the tissue and called her back on July 23. The following day, a specialist confirmed the diagnosis her family feared: Jeehye has uterine sarcoma, an aggressive cancer.
What was supposed to be recovery from a fibroid operation became the beginning of a cancer fight in a matter of days. Jeehye is undergoing further testing to determine the stage and the safest treatment plan. Her medical team is strongly recommending surgery and chemotherapy.
Jeehye does not have health insurance in Korea. Hospital fees and follow-up chemotherapy are expected to cost tens of thousands of dollars, and treatment also means she cannot return to the work and children she loves. Every week away brings medical expenses and basic living costs with no regular income to absorb them.
Her fiancé, Alex, and her parents are doing everything they can. But love cannot pay a hospital bill, and this family should not have to calculate how much cancer treatment they can afford while waiting to learn how far the disease has progressed.
The $58,000 goal is an estimate based on the expected treatment journey and will be updated as doctors confirm the plan. Donations will help pay for testing, surgery, chemotherapy and Jeehye's living expenses while she is unable to work. It is not simply financial relief—it is time, access to care and the chance to keep fighting without treatment being delayed by money.
Jeehye has spent her career opening doors for children who had fewer opportunities. Today, we can open a door for her. Please donate now if you can, and share her story with someone who may help. Aggressive cancer does not wait for a family to feel ready, and Jeehye should not have to face it alone.
— Alex Lee, Jeehye's fiancé
