Hi,

My name is Scotty and I am seeking support for my beautiful wife Ange who was diagnosed in 2018, when our first daughter Raven was 5 months old, with NMZ (Nodal Marginal Zone) B Cell, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. This is a slow growing but incurable cancer which requires monitoring and treatments as required. Ange also has an extremely painful condition CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) left leg, Fibromyalgia, Sweet Syndrome/Neutrophilic Panniculitis, and linked autoimmune issues which reduces mobility and muscle function, extreme fatigue and causes constant chronic pain.

Why GoFundMe?

Ange is selfless to a fault, you only need to be around her for a few seconds to know that she would give anything to the loved ones in her life. To her friends, family and extended furry family. She loves animals (sometimes more than people haha) and she is fiercely loyal. She gives so much but never takes or does anything nice for herself. Wouldn't spend a cent on herself to make life easier for herself or give her back a sense of identity that the cancer has taken from her. Which brings us to the reason I have made this GoFundMe. I want to raise money so that Ange doesn't feel guilty on spending money to make her life a bit easier. Whether it be walking aids, medical therapy and appointments or a decent wig to give her a semblance of her identity back from the chemo and immunotherapy and hair she has lost that will never grow back. I wanted a platform for all the generous people that have supported us for years. People who have wanted to support her / us financially, which she has turned down.

Our Story

We met and were acquainted in April 2016. It was a beach trip at Coolum in Queensland's beautiful Sunshine Coast. We had been kind of set up as a joke and a blind date to begin with but found out quickly that we were very much alike and very attracted to each other. She a strong, beautiful, compassionate, athletic and ambitious woman. A fervent animal rights activist and marathon runner, and me a gym junkie nerd and hopeless romantic. I stood no chance.... We hit it off to say the least. Both of us in our early 30's having enough experience in relationships that we knew what we wanted and found it in each other. We fell hard and fast and within a year we had moved in with each other. Then blessed with our first child Raven in 2018.

As with all good fairy tales, there is an antagonist, which reared its ugly head 5 months after Raven was born. Ange was hospitalised with a very severe pneumonia that seems to have been the trigger for a bizarre range of symptoms, in the coming months, that baffled medical professionals. The second time she was hospitalised was the worst. unexplainable chronic pain that seems to be everywhere. A truly mysterious and frightening experience that left Ange immobile and in excruciating pain. She was in the hospital for weeks before they could diagnose what she had. Only treating the pain as they could not determine the condition afflicting her. After 6 long weeks, a prisoner of a hospital bed and unimaginable pain, away from home, her daughter and husband, they finally had a diagnosis. An auto-Immune disease so rare that the head of dermatology had never seen it in person. However, this was not the cause and on the very day they diagnosed her, the very day that she was to be released from hospital, she was also diagnosed with Lymphoma.

An incurable cancer (1%) which is so rare that barely any research can be found on it. To say that we were crushed is an understatement. A rare form of cancer that had little research done on it, and was incurable? How does one even respond to such a thing?

"How long do I have?"

"Is there any chance of being cured?"

"We've always wanted a large family. Can we still have kids?"

So many questions and emotions with no way to sort through them.

"Is it moral to have more kids with a terminal diagnosis?"

Ultimately the diagnosis came down to. "You will live so long as treatment is effective and the cancer doesn't settle in your organs".

"Can we still have kids?"

"Yes, however if you do, I suggest you have them as soon as possible. As we cannot guarantee you will be able to after multiple chemotherapy treatments"

And that was that. Ange had her first round of treatment over the next grueling eight months. Treatment was effective enough that they were satisfied she didn't need further treatment. Ange would then undergo scans every 6-12 months to evaluate the growth and potential need for additional treatment.

The following year I proposed on the very beach in Coolum where we first met. We went through fertility treatment to increase our chances of having our second child but before we got too deep into IUI/IVF, Ange fell pregnant with our first son Arrow. Then something inexplicable and astonishing happened. Now to explain how astonishing it was I have to state that even though Ange had gone through treatment and it was effective, the chronic pain from her auto-immune diseases persisted. Ange had been suffering form CRPS for years before I met her, caused by an Ultra-Marathon accident, so she was no stranger to chronic pain. However the cancer 'sweats' and the autoimmune issues simply vanished when she was pregnant. Her pregnancy also completely halted the advance of her cancer. Simply unbelievable. It is no wonder why medicine has advanced so much with STEM cell research, just the cells of a new human life can completely stop cancer advancement or slow it down so much that it is indiscernible.

The following years were rough, but we somehow did it as a family. Arrow was born, we got married right before the COVID lock-downs and were trying to live as much of a normal life as we could. However COVID proved to be much larger problem for Ange with ongoing low immunity and respiratory issues. To this day our lives have never gone back to Pre-COVID days. I suppose it never has for the entire world. But since then we are very wary of sickness and large crowds and are strict with visitors in our home. Through these years both of us were working to support our little family and keep up with the extra expenses. Yes that's right, despite everything Ange was determined to work and provide for her family. Despite the symptoms returning after Arrow's birth Ange was unyielding and committed to giving our family as close to a normal life as possible. Her strength astounds me to this very day. How did I get so lucky to find someone so loving, strong, compassionate and committed, to be my wife and mother to my children?

Life was hard but we were happy. However, we still wanted a big family and as they say "Third time is the charm" and oh boy were they right! In August 2021 Ange gave birth to twins Luna and River. Our family was full of all the joyous chaos of what a 3 year old, a 1 year old and newborn twins bring.

Since the twins have been born, I took an opportunity to start a small business on the side to help support our family, medical bills and the crazy cost of living. It has helped us over the years to take the edge off, but the work is sparse and there are only so many hours in the day.

Ange is currently going through another round of treatment in hopes to improve her increased cancer symptoms causing extreme fatigue and limiting mobility and triggering further autoimmune issues. Although ongoing treatment is needed to improve quality of life and slow the cancer growth, it’s more hair loss and Ange hopes one day be able to buy a Lusta wig to make her feel more ‘normal’.

Despite everything we have been very blessed and we cherish everyday we have together. Every day, hour, minute and second we live life to the fullest. We want our kids to look back with fondness at the memories we create with them and with the time Ange has left. How much time? We don't know. But no matter low long it is, whether it be a few years or 20 years, they will know they had the best mother in the world! And I, the luckiest man in the entire world.