Let's get Ana & Xavier cured and on their feet
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£13,676 raised of £15K
105 donations
Written on behalf of Ana Estepa Chevalier-Cooke, by her friends . . .
Sometimes, life can be unkind. We all have our share of life’s ups and downs, but for some people, they seem to have more than their fair share of either the good, or the bad. And it hasn’t been all that good for our friend Ana. Ana is 53, loving wife to Tom and mother to 2 boys, Lorenzo, 27 and Xavier, 14. Life was simple and good for the family, living overseas, and both Tom and Ana in good jobs. The boys were healthy and happy.
But things changed... Ana had a few health scares, having a heart attack in 2009 and hysterectomy in 2014. And in 2018, she had an open-heart surgery. Amidst all of this, Xavier was diagnosed with ADHD, and later on, with an Autoimmune Disorder that was causing the shedding of his optic nerve. Without treatment, he could go blind. Tom and Ana did everything to help their young son. They flew back and forth to Boston, USA for his treatments where he could get the best care. But this came at a cost. After a few years they realized their hard-earned life’s savings had been spent. They couldn’t afford to carry on with it. The family then had to make the decision to live in separate countries to ease the burden of the ongoing costs of Xavier’s medical bills.
So, in July 2019, Ana quit her job and returned to the UK with Xavier, where he could continue with his treatment, while Tom and Lorenzo were left behind to earn money for the family. Their plan was to reunite in a year’s time. A fresh start for the whole family . . . Being British, they’re so lucky to have the NHS. Xavier’s treatment was all set to go ahead in a Manchester hospital. But life gave them another hard blow. One month after they arrived in the UK, Ana started to feel some cramping pain. She saw the doctors and had a few tests done. In September 2019, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Rectal Cancer. In November 2019, she had to go through intensive Radiotherapy to shrink the tumor. Tom then had to quit his job, and stop earning, returning to the UK to be by Ana’s side. In the first week of January 2020, she had some CT scans and MRI to see the results of the Radiotherapy, so the doctors can decide on her surgery. As we write this, she’s still waiting for the results. Tom is looking for a job but finding it hard at this time of year, and in a country he has not lived in for some years. And at 61, not many employers are looking at his age favorably. Having only moved to the UK recently, they’re also finding it hard to access benefits. Even though Tom served with the Household Cavalry for a few years, he can’t avail of any form of help. Even MacMillan Cancer Support cannot help them. And with their life’s savings almost gone, the stress of where to find money for living expenses for the family is not ideal for someone who is battling for her life.
Life hasn’t been fair to our friend. And yet, even in this hardest of times, she has the care and generosity to think of others instead of herself. She didn’t want to be a burden. She never asked others for help, not even from her own family. But as her friends, we knew she needed it. Our aim is to raise £15,000 for Ana and her family to be able to survive long enough to get back on their feet financially and secure a place to rent somewhere near Manchester, so Ana and Xavier can easily access their treatments, and for Tom to have a better chance of finding a job. Because Tom doesn’t have a job yet and they have no credit rating, landlords need 1 year’s rent upfront as security. They’re currently living with Tom’s brother and sister-in-law in Bollington near Macclesfield, who have been kind enough to accommodate Ana and Xavier for the past 6 months, and now more recently, Tom. It’s a full house and hard to find space, and manage all of their urgent needs. We’re hoping for any amount in donations to help our friend. Every little help counts. All proceeds will go to Ana and her family, so she and Xavier can get on with their treatments. And for their family to have a fresh start in their lives.
From all of us, on behalf of Ana, we thank you.
Cris, Bettina, Marilou, Alexis
Sometimes, life can be unkind. We all have our share of life’s ups and downs, but for some people, they seem to have more than their fair share of either the good, or the bad. And it hasn’t been all that good for our friend Ana. Ana is 53, loving wife to Tom and mother to 2 boys, Lorenzo, 27 and Xavier, 14. Life was simple and good for the family, living overseas, and both Tom and Ana in good jobs. The boys were healthy and happy.
But things changed... Ana had a few health scares, having a heart attack in 2009 and hysterectomy in 2014. And in 2018, she had an open-heart surgery. Amidst all of this, Xavier was diagnosed with ADHD, and later on, with an Autoimmune Disorder that was causing the shedding of his optic nerve. Without treatment, he could go blind. Tom and Ana did everything to help their young son. They flew back and forth to Boston, USA for his treatments where he could get the best care. But this came at a cost. After a few years they realized their hard-earned life’s savings had been spent. They couldn’t afford to carry on with it. The family then had to make the decision to live in separate countries to ease the burden of the ongoing costs of Xavier’s medical bills.
So, in July 2019, Ana quit her job and returned to the UK with Xavier, where he could continue with his treatment, while Tom and Lorenzo were left behind to earn money for the family. Their plan was to reunite in a year’s time. A fresh start for the whole family . . . Being British, they’re so lucky to have the NHS. Xavier’s treatment was all set to go ahead in a Manchester hospital. But life gave them another hard blow. One month after they arrived in the UK, Ana started to feel some cramping pain. She saw the doctors and had a few tests done. In September 2019, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Rectal Cancer. In November 2019, she had to go through intensive Radiotherapy to shrink the tumor. Tom then had to quit his job, and stop earning, returning to the UK to be by Ana’s side. In the first week of January 2020, she had some CT scans and MRI to see the results of the Radiotherapy, so the doctors can decide on her surgery. As we write this, she’s still waiting for the results. Tom is looking for a job but finding it hard at this time of year, and in a country he has not lived in for some years. And at 61, not many employers are looking at his age favorably. Having only moved to the UK recently, they’re also finding it hard to access benefits. Even though Tom served with the Household Cavalry for a few years, he can’t avail of any form of help. Even MacMillan Cancer Support cannot help them. And with their life’s savings almost gone, the stress of where to find money for living expenses for the family is not ideal for someone who is battling for her life.
Life hasn’t been fair to our friend. And yet, even in this hardest of times, she has the care and generosity to think of others instead of herself. She didn’t want to be a burden. She never asked others for help, not even from her own family. But as her friends, we knew she needed it. Our aim is to raise £15,000 for Ana and her family to be able to survive long enough to get back on their feet financially and secure a place to rent somewhere near Manchester, so Ana and Xavier can easily access their treatments, and for Tom to have a better chance of finding a job. Because Tom doesn’t have a job yet and they have no credit rating, landlords need 1 year’s rent upfront as security. They’re currently living with Tom’s brother and sister-in-law in Bollington near Macclesfield, who have been kind enough to accommodate Ana and Xavier for the past 6 months, and now more recently, Tom. It’s a full house and hard to find space, and manage all of their urgent needs. We’re hoping for any amount in donations to help our friend. Every little help counts. All proceeds will go to Ana and her family, so she and Xavier can get on with their treatments. And for their family to have a fresh start in their lives.
From all of us, on behalf of Ana, we thank you.
Cris, Bettina, Marilou, Alexis
Organizer
Ana Chevallier-Cooke
Organizer