Help Heather through these difficult days

We are Heather's friends here in Saskatoon, we are fundraising to help her cover costs while she is on medical leave from work.

Heather moved to Saskatoon a few years ago. She and her daughter left their lives in Melfort to start a new job as an Early Learning and Child Care Consultant. Heather's long career in child care is clearly reflected in her role as a single parent. Her life is dedicated to her daughter; Heather works hard to ensure her daughter has all of the care and attention she can offer - and then some.

In early July, Heather hurt her ankle. This injury led to the development of multiple deep vein blood clots in her leg, and she was placed on bed rest for about a month. Heather is super tough, with a high pain tolerance. In mid-August, Heather admitted herself to the ER at Royal University Hospital with severe abdominal pain. She would have been sent home, but the fact that she had blood clots made the doctors run some additional tests and perform a colonoscopy. They discovered a cancerous mass in her colon.

A few days later, the surgeon removed part of Heather's bowel plus part of her bladder, as the cancer had spread. The doctors have not yet determined the stage of cancer or the extent of her treatment. We do know that Heather will need to recover from the surgery for at least six weeks before they can start chemotherapy. This means she will be off work for close to six months without her regular income.

We are concerned that financial instability will add to Heather's stress and prevent her from healing. We are concerned that they will have to give up their house and leave Saskatoon. We are concerned that Heather's daughter will have to start over again, at a new school, this time without her mom's full, energetic support. Due to covid restrictions, Heather's daughter has not been permitted into the hospital. The stress and strain on them is immense, as Heather and her mini-me are two peas in pod.

Please help us help them. Any donation is greatly appreciated, we thank you.