By: Ayah Galal
After Chartwells employee Leyanda DaSilva was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, it didn’t take long for the Quinnipiac community to take a proactive approach and help DaSilva.
Becca Denning, a junior nursing student, created a GoFundMe page to assist DaSilva, who has three kids, with the cost of her cancer treatment.
“Leyanda is one of the strongest women I know and she’s going to fight this thing to the end,” Denning said. “I just thought the Quinnipiac community could come together to help her out because I know I’m not the only person she has strong connections with.”
Denning became friends with DaSilva during her sophomore year at Quinnipiac and keeps in touch with her through social media.
“I’m in nursing school so I know how expensive treatment can be and I wanted to give back for all the good she has done for the students,” Denning said.
DaSilva was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and became cancer free in 2016 after rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. When DaSilva went for a check up a few weeks ago, she was told the cancer spread to her lymph nodes and she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.
The page has raised over $260 for DaSilva and has a goal of reaching $2,000.
