Help Support Abby

Emma Sandor is organizing this fundraiser.

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My name is Emma, I am creating this Go Fund Me on behalf of my cousin Mitchell and his beautiful partner Abby, both only 21 years old.

Imagine receiving a phone call from a doctor on Christmas Day to say that your stage 4 cancer has now spread to your brain. This is what Abby, who was home alone when she received this devastating news, was recently forced to endure.

Some background – Abby is a sweet, kindhearted girl who loves spending time with her family and her gorgeous dog, Harvey. She enjoys cooking, loves all animals (especially meerkats) and spends a lot of time with her doting grandparents.

When Abby was just 16 years old, she had a melanoma removed from her foot. Considered cured of the disease, Abby overcame this hurdle and continued to live her life as a happy teenager.

This was until October 2023, when Abby presented to her GP with concerning symptoms of exhaustion and abdominal bloating. Upon examination, Abby’s GP sent her straight to Flinders Medical Centre Emergency Department, where it was discovered that the bloating was due to a massive amount of fluid and cancer cells pooling in the space between Abby’s lungs and chest wall (pleural effusion.) Sadly, Abby was given the diagnosis of stage 4 metastatic melanoma to the lungs.

Abby then spent the next few months receiving treatment, firstly immunotherapy which wasn’t effective followed by targeted therapy. This treatment initially proved positive and after a few months the main tumour in her lung shrank significantly. Abby and her family began to feel hopeful, and she was starting to feel healthier.

Unfortunately, 12 months later a scan showed one of the tumours in her lung had grown considerably. This growth was a new mutation and Abby had an anxious wait while treatment was decided. In November she underwent a huge, risky surgery to remove the large tumour that was forming in her lung. They were only able to remove 98% of this tumour as it was too close to her spine. After surgery, Abby had an MRI on her brain to check if the cancer had spread. The result of this MRI was going to form the next step of her treatment plan.

Sadly, a doctor called her with horrible news on Christmas Day. At only 21 years old, Abby now has melanoma metastases in her brain. Already struggling with her diagnosis, this news was an incredible shock to Abby & her family.

We are unsure of the next stage in Abby’s treatment plan as she will have to wait until the new year to see her specialists. All of her loved ones are coming together to support her in this critical time.

With permission, I have created this Go Fund Me to help Abby and Mitch with treatment costs, support her family to take time off work to care for her and to relieve some of the financial hardship. We also aim to raise continued awareness of this deadly disease that can strike at any age. Any donation, no matter how small will be received with much gratitude from Abby and her family.

Abby & her dog Harvey, who is a Kelpie.