When the System Gave Up, Stacie Didn’t.
When the System Gave Up, Stacie Didn’t.
In a quiet exam room, a doctor delivered the words no one is ever prepared to hear:
“It’s time to get your affairs in order.”
Stacie Willis was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer—a brutal, fast-moving form of cancer known for its lack of response to conventional therapies. After enduring every treatment protocol available through traditional oncology—chemotherapy, radiation, surgery—Stacie had nothing left to try.
Except her will.
She refused to accept that this was the end.
So Stacie did what every mother, wife, sister, and daughter hopes they’d have the strength to do—
She started researching, connecting, asking questions the medical system had stopped answering.
She found treatments—outside the limits of insurance, outside the box of the approved—but within the realm of hope. And they worked.
But hope came with a cost.
The Hidden Enemy: Medical Financial Toxicity
Each week, Stacie was spending thousands of dollars out of pocket to stay alive.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy. High-dose vitamin infusions. Repurposed drugs not covered by insurance. Dendritic Cellular Therapy, while not new to the medical field, it is relatively new to the FDA. Specialized testing, supportive care, healing modalities—every one of them charged to her credit card, not covered by a policy.
She wasn’t alone.
But she felt like she was.
Medical Financial Toxicity (MFT) is the silent killer that haunts patients even after they’ve survived.
It’s what happens when the price of staying alive becomes too high.
At SabesWings, we exist to fight MFT—because we believe that a lack of money should never be a death sentence.
We are taking this mission all the way to Congress, urging lawmakers to shine a light on the devastating costs patients face when they seek care outside of insurance limitations. Our message is clear: WE NEED CHANGE NOW!
But until that change comes, we show up with support.
And that’s what the StacieStrong Initiative is all about.
This June, Play With Purpose.
💜 StacieStrong 4th Annual Golf Tournament
📍 Hunter Ranch Golf Course, Paso Robles, CA
📅 Sunday, June 8, 2025
This isn’t just another charity golf event.
It’s a love letter to fighters.
It’s a war cry against the systems that abandon them.
It’s the heartbeat of a community rising up and saying: Not on our watch.
Cody and Stacie created this initiative out of sheer necessity—because there was no other choice. But what began as a desperate effort to stay alive has grown into a deep, personal mission to give back.
They’ve seen the cracks in the system.
They’ve felt the loneliness of being told “you’re out of options.”
And now, they’re using that pain to pave the way for others—
Because when we build a better path, we all have a better shot at surviving.
Every dollar raised through this tournament supports real patients facing the impossible. People like Stacie—who are still fighting. Still paying. Still hoping.
And with your help, they won’t fight alone.
🌿 You can help today.
Register to play
Sponsor a hole
Honor someone you love
Donate if you can't attend
What if Stacie was your wife?
Your sister? Your daughter?
Wouldn’t you want someone to show up for her?
Let’s be those someones. Together.
With strength and gratitude,
Kandace & Bret Saberhagen
Co-Founders, SabesWings