My name is Viktoria Karapetyan, and I am fundraisering for my best friend Irina Yagofarova.

Before you read the dry account of a very strong person about her very difficult situation, please allow me to say a few words from the outside.

For 2 years now, Irina has been living with a rare, incurable blood cancer — the kind that would cause most people to give up. Yet she never complains to me about her condition (and we talk on the phone almost every day, and have for several years), and simply radiates positivity and strength.

With four children, zero energy, and constant pain, she worked online until she literally started falling asleep at her desk from sheer exhaustion. Even so, she was constantly looking for extra work, refusing to start a fundraiser.

Only a new blow — a massive pre-cancerous pancreatic mass and the need for one of the most complex abdominal surgeries — finally made her reluctantly agree to my pleas to ask for help from you, compassionate people.

Also, due to her modesty, she greatly downplays the family’s financial struggles. They need far more than she describes below (sorry, Irina, I can’t be silent about this)… Irina’s husband works, without exaggeration, day and night, and it is a mystery to me how he manages to stay so level-headed and calm through it all.

Now please review the official information and documents.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Just weeks ago, Irina was breastfeeding her baby. Now she is preparing for one of the most complex abdominal surgeries performed - a Whipple procedure at Chris O'Brien Lifehouse in Sydney, while living with a rare, incurable blood cancer.

Irina is 40 years old. She is a mother of four, a wife, and the heart of her family.

Now her family needs help.

How they got here

Two years ago, Irina was diagnosed with T-LGL Leukaemia: a rare, chronic form of blood cancer typically affecting people over 60. It is incurable, with no standard treatment that can change its course.

Her family learned to live with that reality. They focused on raising their children and building a life together.

Then during a routine MRI scan, doctors discovered something entirely unexpected - a pre-cancerous pancreatic mass.

This diagnosis requires a Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy), a major and highly complex surgery involving removal of large part of the pancreas, gallbladder, bile duct, half of the stomach, the duodenum, and surrounding tissue.

This condition is unrelated to her leukaemia. It is a separate diagnosis.

Irina’s surgery is scheduled in just weeks with Prof.aCharbel Sandroussi, one of Australia’s leading hepatobiliary surgeons.

Why they need help

The family has private health insurance through Bupa which covers the surgery itself.

While Irina’s surgeon has agreed to charge only a medical gap fee (thanks to private insurance), the anaesthetist’s and assistant surgeon’s fees are still unknown and will be confirmed closer to the surgery date.

This is a single-income household. While Irina’s recovery expected to take at least 3 months, with full recovery taking 6–12 months this will significantly impact the family’s ability to survive.

Even before this surgery Irina was already fighting a battle most people could not imagine.

While living with an incurable blood cancer and extreme, relentless fatigue, she refused to give up. She completed a complex IT Business Analyst Diploma, held down a demanding corporate role, building a fitness consulting business on the side and took on additional paid work — all to help support her family in any way she could.

Those were days she could barely stay awake, needing multiple urgent naps just to get through the day. And still she kept going.

Yet the numerous specialist's appointments, 500$+ MRI scans that weren't covered by Medicare, routine surgical/monitoring procedures all brought down the family financially.

Their electricity provider has issued a disconnection warning as they were behind on the payment due to multiple medical costs.

- Ongoing specialist care

Regular appointments required with:

- Haematologist / Oncologist

- Gastro surgeon

- Breast cancer surgeon (due to an additional cyst detected)

- Hepatologist

- Medication

What happens next

Irina’s surgery is scheduled for mid-May at Chris O'Brien Lifehouse.

Recovery will be long and physically demanding. Life after a Whipple procedure involves ongoing medical care, lifestyle changes and regular specialist monitoring.

Her T-LGL Leukaemia will continue in the background, incurable, but managed.

All funds raised will go directly toward keeping the family financially stable, covering essential expenses, ongoing medical care and supporting their four children while Irina heals.

The family

Irina’s family is a Russian-speaking household living in Sydney’s south-west.

There are seven people at home:

Three adults, including Irina’s elderly father — a retired and highly respected gastro-surgeon who travelled from Russia despite his own health challenges to support the family

Four children aged 9, 7, 3, and 5 months

Her youngest son is just five months old.

Irina is preparing for major surgery while caring for an infant, managing a chronic blood cancer, and holding her family together through it all.

How you can help

If you are able to donate, any amount will make a real difference.

If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing this page.

One share can reach someone who is able to help.