Katrina's Breast Cancer Treatment
Donation protected
Thank you to those people who have contributed for Katrina's breast cancer treatment! We have nearly $12,000 dollars but still need another $18,000 for all the radiation and surgery, doctors fees, flights, etc. Any small bit helps!
Imagine living in a country where it is possible to be screened for breast cancer but there isn’t any treatment available. Most women in Vanuatu don’t want to know if they have cancer as there is nothing that can be done. Most who have moved to Vanuatu by choice are fortunate enough to have an amazing safety net of a health care system back home that we can return to if we get sick or have health insurance.
Not so for Katrina…Katrina’s story is both unusual and common in Vanuatu. What is unusual is that Katrina being the smart and resourceful women she is, obtained a scholarship and obtained her university degree in Resource Management at Lincoln University in Christchurch, New Zealand. She made some fantastic friends in New Zealand and Vanuatu who supported her the first time she had breast cancer in 2009 and beat it. Katrina’s mother and her 3 year old brother died of cancer so her family has a history. Katrina is fortunate that she has funded herself and returned to New Zealand every year for checkups as instructed so was able to detect it once again.
The tough part now is beating it again and raising the money needed for the treatment. Radiation alone is going to $16,000 dollars and the lumpectomy operation prior to the radiation is a further $8000. This doesn’t include any flights, doctors appointments, followups, visas or incidentals.
But imagine the alternative…Katrina has a 6 year old daughter Karisha that she desperately wants to see grow up and a retired father who both depend on her supporting them. Health insurance and treatment isn’t an option in Vanuatu so Katrina is asking you to help her in any way you can.
Any donation is appreciated and her treatment needs to be done quickly. If we can raise this money quickly, in the next few weeks, she can get that operation done and start her course of radiation the month after. She will need to live in New Zealand away from her family for quite a while which is also going to be difficult but is staying with her friends there. Please give just a little or more…time is of the essence.
Imagine living in a country where it is possible to be screened for breast cancer but there isn’t any treatment available. Most women in Vanuatu don’t want to know if they have cancer as there is nothing that can be done. Most who have moved to Vanuatu by choice are fortunate enough to have an amazing safety net of a health care system back home that we can return to if we get sick or have health insurance.
Not so for Katrina…Katrina’s story is both unusual and common in Vanuatu. What is unusual is that Katrina being the smart and resourceful women she is, obtained a scholarship and obtained her university degree in Resource Management at Lincoln University in Christchurch, New Zealand. She made some fantastic friends in New Zealand and Vanuatu who supported her the first time she had breast cancer in 2009 and beat it. Katrina’s mother and her 3 year old brother died of cancer so her family has a history. Katrina is fortunate that she has funded herself and returned to New Zealand every year for checkups as instructed so was able to detect it once again.
The tough part now is beating it again and raising the money needed for the treatment. Radiation alone is going to $16,000 dollars and the lumpectomy operation prior to the radiation is a further $8000. This doesn’t include any flights, doctors appointments, followups, visas or incidentals.
But imagine the alternative…Katrina has a 6 year old daughter Karisha that she desperately wants to see grow up and a retired father who both depend on her supporting them. Health insurance and treatment isn’t an option in Vanuatu so Katrina is asking you to help her in any way you can.
Any donation is appreciated and her treatment needs to be done quickly. If we can raise this money quickly, in the next few weeks, she can get that operation done and start her course of radiation the month after. She will need to live in New Zealand away from her family for quite a while which is also going to be difficult but is staying with her friends there. Please give just a little or more…time is of the essence.
Organizer
Amanda Laithwaite
Organizer
Dunedin, Otago
