Donna's road to recovery ✨
Donation protected
Our beautiful Donna, not only is she my incredible sister in law and friend, she is quite possibly the best mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend many of us have ever had the pleasure of calling our own. Donna has always been one of those kind of people we always hope that we can be like. Perfect in every way.
On Christmas Eve, Don's was dealt a terrible blow. Just after finishing wrapping up Christmas presents for her & Seans gorgeous boys, Huxley (2.5 years) and Reeve (4 months ) our beautiful Donna suffered a horrendous seizure. With Sean by her side Donna was rushed to Frankston Hospital where a CT was performed, this is when they were told the horrific news that she had a golf ball sized brain tumour in the right side of her frontal lobe.
To continue speacialist care, Donna was transferred to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne where further tests and investigations were performed. An MRI showed that along with the tumour there was also a cyst which needed immediate surgery to release pressure in her brain and to prevent further debilitating seizures.
Unfortunately due to the busy holiday period and the public system running on skeleton staff, surgery was being cancelled day after day after day. With Donna & Sean, their boys and family living on the Mornington Peninsula an hour and a half away, waiting for an unknown amount of time for surgery to take place was not an option.
Donna was transferred to St Vincent's Private Hospital under the expert care of Neurosurgeon Dr Peter McNeil. On the 4th January 2017 Donna had major brain surgery to remove the cyst and debulk as much of the tumour that was deemed safe. The following day, Dr Peter McNeil and his team informed Donna, Sean and family that the tumour was an astrocytoma.
So far, she has made an incredible recovery but the fight is unfortunately not over. Continuing treatment will be required, starting with intensive radiation to radiate any remaining tumour. Further treatment will be determined after this.
After 16 gruelling days in Hospital away from her beautiful boys, brain surgery, recovery and dealing with the unknown on the 9th January 2017 Donna is finally set to head home. Although this is a huge relief for Donna and her family, recovery means 6 weeks of no bending over, no lifting, no exertion... for those of you who know Donna, you'll know that this amazing mother/wife/daughter/sister/friend of ours.... finds it very hard to sit still. But she has to.
With a toddler and an infant this is going to be so hard for our devoted, caring, loving, hardworking Don. There's also a 6 month driving ban been put in place by her neurosurgeon as a safety measure, until there is no evidence of further seizures.
Donna, Sean & family have been dealt this enormously unfair blow at the most unfair time of year, their first Christmas with their two beautiful boys.
Donna is going to need to familiarise herself and their home with tools and equipment that is going to make her recovery as easy and stress free as possible.
This is where I ask if you have a dollar or two to spare to help this incredible girl on her road to recovery please donate to help her road to recovery all the more easier. Funds raised will go towards medical expenses, travel costs, rehab equipment, groceries, home help and any other expenses they are to be faced with during this time. Any money that is raised and not needed will be donated to their chosen foundation.
Thank you in advance from the bottom of our hearts , your messages of support, encouragement, flowers, offers of help etc have been nothing short of mind blowing.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Let's get this gorgeous girl back smiling, happy & healthy ASAP!! Xx

On Christmas Eve, Don's was dealt a terrible blow. Just after finishing wrapping up Christmas presents for her & Seans gorgeous boys, Huxley (2.5 years) and Reeve (4 months ) our beautiful Donna suffered a horrendous seizure. With Sean by her side Donna was rushed to Frankston Hospital where a CT was performed, this is when they were told the horrific news that she had a golf ball sized brain tumour in the right side of her frontal lobe.
To continue speacialist care, Donna was transferred to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne where further tests and investigations were performed. An MRI showed that along with the tumour there was also a cyst which needed immediate surgery to release pressure in her brain and to prevent further debilitating seizures.
Unfortunately due to the busy holiday period and the public system running on skeleton staff, surgery was being cancelled day after day after day. With Donna & Sean, their boys and family living on the Mornington Peninsula an hour and a half away, waiting for an unknown amount of time for surgery to take place was not an option.
Donna was transferred to St Vincent's Private Hospital under the expert care of Neurosurgeon Dr Peter McNeil. On the 4th January 2017 Donna had major brain surgery to remove the cyst and debulk as much of the tumour that was deemed safe. The following day, Dr Peter McNeil and his team informed Donna, Sean and family that the tumour was an astrocytoma.
So far, she has made an incredible recovery but the fight is unfortunately not over. Continuing treatment will be required, starting with intensive radiation to radiate any remaining tumour. Further treatment will be determined after this.
After 16 gruelling days in Hospital away from her beautiful boys, brain surgery, recovery and dealing with the unknown on the 9th January 2017 Donna is finally set to head home. Although this is a huge relief for Donna and her family, recovery means 6 weeks of no bending over, no lifting, no exertion... for those of you who know Donna, you'll know that this amazing mother/wife/daughter/sister/friend of ours.... finds it very hard to sit still. But she has to.
With a toddler and an infant this is going to be so hard for our devoted, caring, loving, hardworking Don. There's also a 6 month driving ban been put in place by her neurosurgeon as a safety measure, until there is no evidence of further seizures. Donna, Sean & family have been dealt this enormously unfair blow at the most unfair time of year, their first Christmas with their two beautiful boys.
Donna is going to need to familiarise herself and their home with tools and equipment that is going to make her recovery as easy and stress free as possible.
This is where I ask if you have a dollar or two to spare to help this incredible girl on her road to recovery please donate to help her road to recovery all the more easier. Funds raised will go towards medical expenses, travel costs, rehab equipment, groceries, home help and any other expenses they are to be faced with during this time. Any money that is raised and not needed will be donated to their chosen foundation.
Thank you in advance from the bottom of our hearts , your messages of support, encouragement, flowers, offers of help etc have been nothing short of mind blowing.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Let's get this gorgeous girl back smiling, happy & healthy ASAP!! Xx
Organizer
Meika Ellemor
Organizer
Labrador QLD
