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$5,828AUD raised
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Arron Manfield, Jai's Dad

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In mid October we received the terrible news that Arron has lung cancer and that it has metastasized into his bones.  This is a “Stage 4” cancer diagnosis.  Arron has had to endure extreme pain and limited mobility while the medicos established his treatment plan, which was a roller-coaster ride for all of us. What we learned is that cancer pain can be excruciating and the management of it is trial and error as individual pain thresholds and responses are tested.
 
The medical pathway for managing Arrons’ advanced stage cancer has been to firstly control the pain, then surgically attend to the most damaging tumor in his femur bone and insert a 40cm ‘nail’ along the femur to prevent fracture of the weakened bone; followed by a 3 week program of radiation treatment directed at the bony metastasis in the spine to prevent the tumors impacting on the spinal chord. Next is chemotherapy followed by immuno-therapy.
 
In conjunction with the medical treatments we have gone full on into complimentary therapies introducing an organic, plant based diet, juices, Ayurvedic herbs, homeopathics and much, much more.
 
As if this hasn’t been enough of a challenge, last week Arron  sustained a Stroke. The impact of this on our family and our spirit to rise to the challenge has been devastating, especially for him as a musician .  Arron was just beginning to feel confident that his cancer treatment programme was on track, only to endure this set back.  Jai has been very pragmatic and scientific so far, but the effects of the stroke have been confronting for him to witness.
 
Arrons’ treatment plan now includes intense rehabilitation to his leg and arm so that he can regain mobility and strength. He will remain in hospital until we can manage his care at home with the assistance of rehab specialists. Hospital is not our preferred scenario for his wellbeing. We desperately want Arron to be out of hospital and at home where he can be cared for on all levels – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

The good news to come out of this is that the array of scans that were done to identify the stroke also showed that the cancer has not metastasized further. So perhaps all the effort we are putting in to his healing is working. The not so good news is that Arron has no health or life insurance and this whole process is costly for us in so many ways.
 
While the stroke has added complexity to our situation our spirit is not broken and we look forward to seeing Arron walking confidently again, returning home,  and playing his instruments!
 
In order to do this we are requesting your help.
 
The challenges we face are that  as Arron’s needs have become more complex we have no capacity to make an income during this time. 
 
Here’s what we need for the short and medium term:
 
The cost of rent
(our house is under fixed contract and we can’t get back into it until next March)
 
Running of a car as a ‘medical shuttle’ to and from medical appointments etc
 
The cost of organic food, herbal medicines and alternative therapies
 
A home care support team to assist with rehab (partly government funded but many out of pocket expenses and gaps in the fees)
 
Remedial props that make it possible for Arron to be cared for at home which allow him independence and saves my back!
 
School fees for Jai’s transition into high school with uniforms, books etc,
along with the need for psychological support for Jai’s emotional wellbeing.

The cost of renovation to our house to create an accessable and independent living space to initially support Arron’s independence at home, and eventually create the potential for income in the future.
(skills and materials are also welcome donations).

Wish list:
Our wish is to be able to return to our happy place in Bali from time to time. We still have our little villa there which was paid up in advance. Arrons’ hope is to return and complete his project there, even if just for a short break when possible. He has been designing creative outdoor lighting and almost finished his most inspired creation just before he fell ill. He also enjoys the music scene there in Ubud.
Having a sense of “Possibility” and hope for the future plays an important role in healing . We miss our Bali friends and community.

Donations 

    Organizer

    Lani Saraswati
    Organizer
    Clareville, NSW

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