Can you help Ashlee enjoy her last 12 months?!
Donation protected
2020 was a very challenging year for many people but 2021 decided to step it up another notch for Ashlee & her 3 year old son Wyatt.
My name is Rianna & at age 33 Ashlee, my best friend, was diagnosed in March 2021 with a rare form of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS).
After months of what was thought to be simply bulging discs & general back pain, a large tumour was found in her upper abdomen. After many blood tests, scans & a biopsy - Rhabdomyosarcoma was confirmed. It's not only in the form of a tumour, but is coursing through her blood & has now also invaded her bones & lungs.
Ashlee commenced her first round of chemotherapy on the 23rd of March & since then she's been unable to work due to illness & side effects.
On Thursday the 8th of April, doctors delivered the devastating news that Ashlee's cancer is terminal & she has a life expectancy of 12 months. The chemotherapy will prolong her days however, it will stop working & once that happens, it will only be a matter of weeks before the cancer takes over.
Now she embarks on the greatest fight against RMS to stay alive for as long as possible & she needs your help!
Your contribution, no matter how small, will help Ashlee & Wyatt with financial assistance with quality of life as well as ongoing medical costs such as prescriptions, anaesthetic fees for surgeries eg insertion of portacath. One round of chemotherapy costs Ashlee approximately $350 out of pocket every 3 weeks to keep RMS from taking over.
Once Ashlee is feeling somewhat well enough, she's planning on travelling to Uluru as it's the one place she's always wanted to go & visit. Flights & accommodation would all come from this fundraiser to give Ashlee the experience & memories she's always wanted. She would also love to visit Fraser Island & it had been planned as a girls weekend away however the cost was too high. Hopefully later this year pending health, Ashlee can go & visit the fresh water lakes & take in the amazing scenery that is Fraser Island.
Family has always been so important to Ashlee & with her mum Kerry having passed away from cancer when Ash was 21, she wants to create as many memories for Wyatt as possible. We plan on using this money for professional photos over the next 12 months as well as a videographer so the memories are captured & Wyatt can look back through these when he's older & have a sense of knowing his mum, the kind & caring, loving person she was.
Even though I now live in Brisbane, I wanted to set up this GoFund Me fundraiser for Ashlee as a way of me helping when I can't be there physically. All of these donations will be put into Ashlee's account so she can use them accordingly.
You can help Ashlee & Wyatt by donating to this GoFundMe & make the last 12 months of her life absolutely amazing!
My name is Rianna & at age 33 Ashlee, my best friend, was diagnosed in March 2021 with a rare form of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS).
After months of what was thought to be simply bulging discs & general back pain, a large tumour was found in her upper abdomen. After many blood tests, scans & a biopsy - Rhabdomyosarcoma was confirmed. It's not only in the form of a tumour, but is coursing through her blood & has now also invaded her bones & lungs.
Ashlee commenced her first round of chemotherapy on the 23rd of March & since then she's been unable to work due to illness & side effects.
On Thursday the 8th of April, doctors delivered the devastating news that Ashlee's cancer is terminal & she has a life expectancy of 12 months. The chemotherapy will prolong her days however, it will stop working & once that happens, it will only be a matter of weeks before the cancer takes over.
Now she embarks on the greatest fight against RMS to stay alive for as long as possible & she needs your help!
Your contribution, no matter how small, will help Ashlee & Wyatt with financial assistance with quality of life as well as ongoing medical costs such as prescriptions, anaesthetic fees for surgeries eg insertion of portacath. One round of chemotherapy costs Ashlee approximately $350 out of pocket every 3 weeks to keep RMS from taking over.
Once Ashlee is feeling somewhat well enough, she's planning on travelling to Uluru as it's the one place she's always wanted to go & visit. Flights & accommodation would all come from this fundraiser to give Ashlee the experience & memories she's always wanted. She would also love to visit Fraser Island & it had been planned as a girls weekend away however the cost was too high. Hopefully later this year pending health, Ashlee can go & visit the fresh water lakes & take in the amazing scenery that is Fraser Island.
Family has always been so important to Ashlee & with her mum Kerry having passed away from cancer when Ash was 21, she wants to create as many memories for Wyatt as possible. We plan on using this money for professional photos over the next 12 months as well as a videographer so the memories are captured & Wyatt can look back through these when he's older & have a sense of knowing his mum, the kind & caring, loving person she was.
Even though I now live in Brisbane, I wanted to set up this GoFund Me fundraiser for Ashlee as a way of me helping when I can't be there physically. All of these donations will be put into Ashlee's account so she can use them accordingly.
You can help Ashlee & Wyatt by donating to this GoFundMe & make the last 12 months of her life absolutely amazing!
** Update **
It's now been 5 long months of chemotherapy for Ashlee & it's been very challenging at times. The nausea & sickness that comes with chemotherapy was crippling however the expert oncologists have recently halved the dosages due to excellent results with the tumour shrinking from 17cm to now 3.2cm! It's absolutely fantastic news & along with some hair growing back (we actually thought this would never happen!), the doctors have indicated that radiation is now an option! This is due to start in early September & we again hope for wonderful, positive results.
I will share some recent photos with you all soon & I thank each & every one of you who have taken the time to read this story & donate to Ashlee. She is making the most of the time she has left & spending quality time with her son Wyatt, making wonderful memories that will live on.
Organizer and beneficiary
Rianna Van Schyndel
Organizer
Joyner QLD
Ashlee Wood
Beneficiary
