Astrid's Healing From Breast Cancer
If you know Astrid, like me you probably also know her as the strong, brave, and fiercely independent woman that she is. Funny, hard-working, perfectionist, and most of all a good friend who makes you feel good just by spending time together.
[ If you don’t know Astrid, I hope for you that you get to meet her sometime, whether for a chat or for her magic touch at helping you and your working dog succeed at scent detection or tracking.]
Now, Astrid needs our help.
There’s no easier way to say it and together with you, I wish it wasn’t the case.
Late November 2020, the weekly business chat Astrid and I were having, was not about business, at all. Astrid had a cancer scare, which turned out not to be a scare at all. It was very real. Breast cancer.
Brave. That is the one word that keeps coming back when I think of how Astrid reacted to her diagnosis.
Brave. Strong too, though scared obviously and doing it on her own but all-in to find a way to healing that feels right.
Expensive treatments preceded and follow the double mastectomy Astrid had to undergo in March 2021.
Options for medical treatment for cancer are radical, can have serious side effects, yet offer no guarantees, even in a hyper-modern society like the UK. Nor are they completely covered by medical insurance. Complementary options contribute to healing but are not accepted by the UK health system or medical insurance. Astrid has had to do her own research (and I'm continually impressed by the thoroughness and courage she does this with!), understand, and decide how to coordinate treatments to give herself the best chances for healing. Costs for investigations, treatments, and supplements pile up and healing requires money.
I’ve come to know Astrid also as a proud one. It’s taken all my convincing skills to get her to allow me to set up this GoFundMe. She wants to do it on her own. Work extra hard to keep up with paying for her treatments. But the costs are just too high to keep up.
Today she’s allowed me to set this up, quietly but again bravely, swallowing her pride.
And having been convinced by me that you, her friend, whether you know her from close or from far, WANT to help her.
Because it’s probably true that you’ve been thinking about what you could do to help. Send flowers, or a gorgeous book, or a gift card at her local spa? All lovely thoughts, but right now, what helps is money.
Or maybe, you didn’t yet realize how serious a feat it is Astrid’s going through. Very understandable because I know Astrid is as private about it as she felt comfortable with.
How can you help?
Every single pound or dollar or euro you offer will go straight into Astrid’s treatment.
If you know somebody who cares about Astrid and would also want to help, please share this page with them, in confidence. Astrid has only shared her situation with a small number of close friends. She regards it as part of her healing to not let cancer overshadow her life and work, so please don't let this reach her clients or colleagues. If it can still reach others it will mean more money and better healing for Astrid ❤️
If you're in the dog world and (want to) work with Astrid - which I can only highly recommend! - please know that this challenge in no way affects her work. On the contrary: she has excellent systems and strategies in place and everything runs more smoothly and efficiently than ever. To keep working is important financially, and it also makes sure she can stay active in everyday life, which is an important aspect of healing.
-> This campaign was created by Heidi Holvoet, for Astrid Lowe <-
Hi, I'm Heidi, Astrid's friend, business buddy, and among the seemingly endless interests we share, fellow dog person. Since the day Astrid generously offered to look after my then 4-month old labrador pup Storm because of a Christmas emergency, we've gotten closer, worked together and have the most engaging and life-changing chats.
Now is a time to help Astrid heal, so please join me in making that happen! Heidi
