Help Dan & His Young Family -Cancer
Donation protected
Daniel Varkal, age 33, loving husband and father of two beautiful, young children, has Stage 4 melanoma brain cancer. He recently had surgery to remove one of the tumours from his brain, the surgery was successful however there are 5 tumours remaining which are inoperable and the prognosis isn't good.
Daniel Varkal is married to Monique, age 27 and they have a son named Ethan, age 5 and a daughter named Maia, age 3. They live in a small town called Plettenberg Bay, in South Africa with Monique's father, who has been in a wheelchair since she was 9 years old. Before Daniel's illness, they were working hard to try to achieve financial stability for their family. It is incredibly difficult to find steady and well paying jobs in this rural and seasonal small town. With Daniel unable to work, Monique is now the sole caretaker and earner for their whole family. At this point, she has a part time job in a jewellery store.
The tumours were discovered just 12 weeks ago, after Dan suffered a stroke. An MRI scan was performed and revealed the tumours. They scheduled a biopsy surgery to determine if the tumours were malignant or benign. During the period between the scan and the surgery however, Dan started having seizures and a decision was made to remove one of the tumours which was suspected to be the cause of the onset epilepsy.
Tests were performed on the removed tumour and it was revealed that Daniel is in fact in stage 4 of Melanoma Cancer with severely advanced brain metastases. They are attempting aggressive and costly radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
My name is Kaylee, a friend of the family, I've set up this GoFundMe as an attempt to raise urgent funds to help support Daniel and Monique and try to make this heartbreakingly difficult time just a little bit easier for them. The pain and stress this family is experiencing is unbearable and with Daniel's medical costs and loss of income they are in serious trouble. These are good, kind people and the unthinkable has happened to them. Please, please help! Donate as much as you can and help us share this campaign. Thank you so much <3
UPDATE 10th October 2018 - Daniel has just completed 10 consecutive days of aggressive and painful radiation treatments. He will need to recover over the next 2 to 3 weeks and then his doctors will perform more tests to establish how the tumors are looking and what the next steps will be (possibly chemotherapy). Daniel is staying very brave and strong and is so grateful for all the love and support he and his family have received.
UPDATE 27th November 2018 -
The support, generosity and compassion everyone has shown for Daniel and his gorgeous family is astounding. Thank you so much everyone!
Dan has undergone the high risk, painful radiation treatments and thankfully he pulled through them without suffering any permanent or debilitating side effects. It has been decided, together with Daniel's oncology team and family, that his best chance of recovery is an advanced treatment program at the Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel. This hospital is highly specialised and one of only two in the world using this ground breaking method of treatment.
Daniel arrived in Israel on Sunday the 25th of November and will stay there for approximately 3 months to undergo his treatments. It was an incredibly tough decision to have Dan continue this journey without his wife and children at his side. Thankfully he has a large support group in Israel comprised of his Parents, Sister, Grandmother and other family and friends, all eager to care for him.
All of your donations have made it possible to get Danny this far and give him the best possible chance of overcoming this fight and we are so grateful. There will be many more medical expenses incurred as well as costs associated with supporting Monique and the children while Daniel is away. Please continue sharing Dan's story and supporting as much as you can so we can help him get through this fight!
Daniel Varkal is married to Monique, age 27 and they have a son named Ethan, age 5 and a daughter named Maia, age 3. They live in a small town called Plettenberg Bay, in South Africa with Monique's father, who has been in a wheelchair since she was 9 years old. Before Daniel's illness, they were working hard to try to achieve financial stability for their family. It is incredibly difficult to find steady and well paying jobs in this rural and seasonal small town. With Daniel unable to work, Monique is now the sole caretaker and earner for their whole family. At this point, she has a part time job in a jewellery store.
The tumours were discovered just 12 weeks ago, after Dan suffered a stroke. An MRI scan was performed and revealed the tumours. They scheduled a biopsy surgery to determine if the tumours were malignant or benign. During the period between the scan and the surgery however, Dan started having seizures and a decision was made to remove one of the tumours which was suspected to be the cause of the onset epilepsy.
Tests were performed on the removed tumour and it was revealed that Daniel is in fact in stage 4 of Melanoma Cancer with severely advanced brain metastases. They are attempting aggressive and costly radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
My name is Kaylee, a friend of the family, I've set up this GoFundMe as an attempt to raise urgent funds to help support Daniel and Monique and try to make this heartbreakingly difficult time just a little bit easier for them. The pain and stress this family is experiencing is unbearable and with Daniel's medical costs and loss of income they are in serious trouble. These are good, kind people and the unthinkable has happened to them. Please, please help! Donate as much as you can and help us share this campaign. Thank you so much <3
UPDATE 10th October 2018 - Daniel has just completed 10 consecutive days of aggressive and painful radiation treatments. He will need to recover over the next 2 to 3 weeks and then his doctors will perform more tests to establish how the tumors are looking and what the next steps will be (possibly chemotherapy). Daniel is staying very brave and strong and is so grateful for all the love and support he and his family have received.
UPDATE 27th November 2018 -
The support, generosity and compassion everyone has shown for Daniel and his gorgeous family is astounding. Thank you so much everyone!
Dan has undergone the high risk, painful radiation treatments and thankfully he pulled through them without suffering any permanent or debilitating side effects. It has been decided, together with Daniel's oncology team and family, that his best chance of recovery is an advanced treatment program at the Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel. This hospital is highly specialised and one of only two in the world using this ground breaking method of treatment.
Daniel arrived in Israel on Sunday the 25th of November and will stay there for approximately 3 months to undergo his treatments. It was an incredibly tough decision to have Dan continue this journey without his wife and children at his side. Thankfully he has a large support group in Israel comprised of his Parents, Sister, Grandmother and other family and friends, all eager to care for him.
All of your donations have made it possible to get Danny this far and give him the best possible chance of overcoming this fight and we are so grateful. There will be many more medical expenses incurred as well as costs associated with supporting Monique and the children while Daniel is away. Please continue sharing Dan's story and supporting as much as you can so we can help him get through this fight!
Organizer
Kaylee Haman
Organizer
Camberwell VIC
