Brave the Shave for Jodie

Hi everyone,

I have made the decision to shave my head in order to raise some sponsorship money to support a very close family friend, Jodie Cox. I am also hoping that the Little Princess Trust will be able to accept my hair donation now that they cater for afro hair too.

Many of you will know Jodie personally and will know what a truly remarkable young woman she is. She is going through such an unimaginable situation and absolutely anything we can do to support her would be greatly appreciated. 

I'm planning to go ahead with the head shave on 9th October at a fundraising event being held for Jodie. This will be at the Wrens Nest pub in Ketley, starting at 12 noon. There will be various activities going on such as food, entertainment, raffle, sweepstakes etc. along with completion of other sponsored fundraising events. Please join us if you can!

Jodie’s story

In January 2021 Jodie was loving life as any fit, healthy 25 year old would, planning her future with her boyfriend (Luke) looking at buying a house, getting married, and having children.

 

Within 24 hours her carefree life was turned upside down. She became paralysed from the waist down and was rushed into emergency surgery after an MRI scan showed signs of a tumour. She went through all of this alone because of COVID. Her boyfriend & family could only support her via FaceTime.

 

They operated immediately in an attempt to remove the tumour but they could not remove it all. Within 18 hours, Jodie was paralysed from the waist down and diagnosed with an aggressive Osteosarcoma in her spine which she was later told had spread to her lungs.

 

Since the operation and diagnosis, Jodie has had to face decisions no 25-year-old (as she was then) should have to make. She was given the option of intensive chemotherapy or palliative care to keep her comfortable. The paralysis was an added complication that could make intensive chemotherapy life-threatening in itself. Jodie’s response “I’m not just giving up”.

 

Jodie used to cry at the slightest thing and yet throughout this battle she has shown more concern for her loved ones than for herself. When faced with the option to give up she chose to fight for her life. The list of pains, obstacles, and trauma is too large to comprehend let alone explain. It has been an arduous journey to say the least, BUT she will never give up.

Jodie has now completed 2 rounds of chemotherapy which unfortunately hasn’t kept the tumour at bay and led her to lose her beautiful hair. As at today, 13th September 2022, she is part way through an intensive course of radiotherapy. This requires Luke to drive her from Telford to Macclesfield and back every day for 2 weeks.

 

Getting through operations and paralysis are not the only obstacles. Living with paralysis requires a massive amount of adjustment to accept, mentally & physically. This is how you can help. Jodie can no longer work and Luke has given up his job to take care of her full time.

Jodie requires specialist physio sessions that are costing around £100-200 pounds per week, this is all self-funded and the funds to continue this have run out. These are a necessity to give Jodie soke independence and avoid further issues with her mobility. This is in addition to the excessive travel costs incurred to be able to receive life-saving treatment.

Jodie is now 27, she and Luke shouldn’t have financial burdens related to a life-threatening disease whilst also approaching another chapter of Jodie’s journey.

Please donate towards helping our beautiful, inspirational Jodie get the best out of life that she can get.

 

Thank you for reading.