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Community Rallies Around Fairfax County Mom Diagnosed With Rare Cancer

Family and friends of an Annandale mom are making sure she isn't facing her cancer diagnosis alone. They've started a GoFundMe to help her win the fight of her life. 

Catherine Ipsan is battling a rare type of cancer that requires biweekly trips to New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for treatment.

Catherine Ipsan is battling a rare type of cancer that requires biweekly trips to New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for treatment.

Photo Credit: GoFundMe

Doctors diagnosed Catherine Ipsan with a rare and aggressive cancer earlier this year. Since then, the mom of a 5-year-old son splits her time between Annandale and New York City for treatments, according to a GoFundMe her sister set up to pay for the medical bills and travel expenses. The fundraiser hopes to raise $25,000. They've raised more than $21,000 so far from 132 donors. 

That amount of travel has put a strain on her finances. Ipsan pulled out of her graduate program at George Mason University and cut back on her hours at work to devote more time to fighting this cancer, the campaign description says. She gets biweekly treatments at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which has specialists who can treat this rare sarcoma. Ipsan will continue this routine for several months before doctors will attempt surgery to remove the tumor, the campaign description says. 

Her sister calls Catherine a "rock star," who is the rock within their family. 

"Catherine is one of the coolest, smartest, and most loving people you will ever meet," her sister posted. "When Cat isn’t hanging out with her five-year-old son, she’s writing a new summer jam for her fans, working as a geospatial information scientist, crushing the soccer field, or organizing neighborhood cleanups."

Click here to learn more about the GoFundMe campaign. 

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