Help Fern Fight for Her Life & Be There for Her Children

I never thought I’d be writing something like this.

My sister-in-law, Fern, is 33 weeks pregnant, preparing to welcome her second child. This should be a time of excitement, anticipation, and maybe a few sleepless nights thanks to pregnancy discomfort. Instead, she’s facing something none of us could have ever imagined-a life-threatening brain tumour.

A few weeks ago, Fern was fine. No symptoms, no warning signs-just a normal morning like any other. Then, out of nowhere, she had a seizure. The scans that followed changed everything. Doctors found a fast-growing, inoperable brain tumour-Glioblastoma. It’s one of the most aggressive and deadly cancers, and because of its location in the basal ganglia, surgery isn’t an option.

Normally, the next step would be chemotherapy and radiation, but there’s a catch-doctors won’t offer treatment without a biopsy. The problem is, a biopsy is way too risky. It could cause a brain bleed, paralysis, or worse. Without it, she can’t get standard treatment. So now, with a baby due in just days, she’s trying to find another way forward.

On Monday, February 17th, she’ll have a C-section at 34 weeks. Instead of the peaceful home birth she had planned, her newborn will be in the NICU or supervised care, while she faces the fight of her life. Meanwhile, her two-year-old son, Hugo, will be at home, probably pulling everything out of the cupboards and glued to the window waiting for the trash truck to arrive.

Fern is only 37 years old, soon to have two little ones who desperately need their mum. She’s strong, she’s determined, and she refuses to give up. Since conventional medicine won’t treat her without a biopsy, she has no choice but to seek alternative treatments-therapies that don’t require a biopsy but could still slow the tumour and give her more time. The problem? These treatments are expensive and not covered by the public health system.

Now, asking for help isn’t exactly their thing, but let’s be honest-my brother cannot handle two kids on his own. Seriously, I love the guy, but Hugo is already running circles around him, and now he’s about to have a newborn too. He needs Fern. Their kids need their mum. And we need to do everything we can to make sure she gets the best chance at more time with them.

If you can donate, we would be forever grateful. And if you can’t, even just sharing this means the world.

Fern has so much to fight for-her kids, her husband, her future. Let’s give her every chance possible.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for any support you can offer. It truly means more than words can say.

With gratitude,

Nic Whitehead