This summer, my mother went to China to visit her aging parents. Last night following severe headaches and vomiting, she was admitted to a local hospital in Hangzhou for increased intercranial pressure (ICP) after two CT scans, and today she was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive and malignant type of cancer that begins with the brain.

There is literally nothing someone can do to avoid getting GBM, as the cause of most cases are unknown. The most common length of survival following diagnosis is 12 to 15 months, with fewer than 3% to 5% of people surviving longer than five years.

The doctors have determined that it is best to perform surgery immediately, and it is currently ongoing. Unfortunately both my sister and I failed to inform her about travel medical insurance, and right now she does not have any medical insurance abroad. I regret this deeply every minute that goes by.

We are a small family of four that have immigrated to Ottawa, Canada from Hangzhou, a city in China, almost 15 year ago. We are all Canadian Citizens and no longer Chinese citizens as China does not allow dual citizenship, so she doesn’t have any local citizenship coverage over there either. They have also lost their pension from China despite having worked there 10+ years as professor and teacher.

When my twin sister and I were teenagers, our parents have worked so many odd jobs to make ends meet when we first moved to Canada. Calling desks, cleaning, mushroom cutting, travel agency... After extensive schooling, my mother is currently a beloved teacher at a local Montessori school. We always look up to her because she is always so kind, sincere and loving about each person she interacts with. And she is so so positive, and has never complained about anything. My dad works at a grocery store in the kitchen. They have both given up so much to give us a better future. Being late to home purchasing as older immigrants, they work twice as hard to pay off the mortgage. They have also helped my sister and I through thick and thin, during university and beyond.

My sister and I are both 24. I have just started a job I love, and my sister was about to get married next Wednesday. Our mom was supposed to be back right before then. This is a huge blow to my family. Thankfully we have each other and our few loved ones here to lean on during this tough time. My father has just got on a one-way flight to China, but the trip is going to take at least a whole day. My sister and I are also planning to go as soon as we hear about the end of the surgery.

Please, we urgently need your help. Anything helps. Your funds can save my mother’s life, and we are thankful to anyone who helps.

After the initial surgery, there will be rounds of radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy that will add up very quickly. On top of that, we are also going to strategize if we can and how to bring her back home to Canada safely, and continuing her treatment here. We don’t know how long it will take, and it’s not going to be easy, but we are hopeful and pray that everything will be okay.

If there are any kind doctors here seeing this, please also reach out to us as well. We’ve been blessed that we’ve all been relatively healthy, which unfortunately also meant we don’t really know what to expect and do in a horrible situation like this. All we know is that our mom is too important to us, and we want to see her recover to her healthy, smiling, positive self.

Donation also would be accepted through e-transfer or paypal as well ([email redacted]).