Help Emily fight cancer

This is a fundraiser for our best mate Emily Day, who is 44 years old. She is a mum of three beautiful kids, Lily, Charlie and Freddie, wife to Ben, a sister, an aunty, a daughter and friend.

Em works tirelessly as a nurse in the Toowoomba community. She is not just any nurse, but a Nurse Practitioner who specialises in stomal therapy. I commonly refer to her as the 'bum' nurse because her speciality cares and supports people who have bowel cancer. She recently completed her Masters and opened up a stoma and wound clinic at St Andrews Hospital. Em is the first Nurse Practitioner in her field and regularly treats patients from all over the Darling Downs so they don't have to travel to Brisbane for treatment. Em is also a nurse that actually gives a shit (pun intended) about all her patients. Her compassionate and caring nature is obvious to everyone from the outset - just ask any of her previous patients. Em has had a profound impact on so many people's lives whilst working in her role as a Nurse Practitioner. Em goes above and beyond for everyone she knows, and many would describe her as a beautiful soul who is kind, compassionate, caring and hard working.

In 2023 she travelled to Perth to speak at an international stomal conference, and upon her return experienced some back and side pain. During her usual shift at work, Emily collapsed in great pain. Luckily, she works in a hospital, and they got her in for an x-ray pretty quickly, suspecting a chest infection. Unfortunately, further medical imaging discovered metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung which has also spread to her brain (Stage 4 EGFR Lung Cancer). This type of cancer is not related to smoking, and due to the spread is not considered curable. However, there are different treatments that can extend the length and quality of Em's life.

Em has been on targeted therapy drugs for the past 18 months and having PET and MRI scans every 3 months, which had been effective in reducing the cancer until a few weeks ago. Some pain in her back indicated that the cancer has now spread into her spine. Em had some radiation this week and is now looking for a clinical trial on the advice of doctors. One blood test to ascertain her suitability costs $3,000 alone. The ongoing costs of medical treatment and care, alongside any potential medical trial costs is not going to be cheap.

Em is going to have to take a break from work to focus on her health (and yes, the powerhouse was still caring for her beloved patients last week!). Alongside medical treatment, any funds raised will support the family in terms of travel and accommodation for medical appointments, alongside home support such as meals and cleaning.

Any assistance you can provide to support Em and her family will be greatly appreciated. If you can't donate at this time, a message of support for Em, and sharing this page with your family and friends would be amazing. We will keep you updated on Em's journey, and hope with all our hearts that there are many more updates to come.