Help Hayley Visit her Terminally ill Father

Hello, I have created this fundraiser to support my lovely friend and work colleague. Hayley Oakley is a dedicated Special Needs Teacher, who has had to endure more than most people in her lifetime. Many of these challenges have left a huge financial strain on her family. In 2017 Hayley and Ben lost their first baby, Erica, at 36 weeks, due to a rare form of foetal maternal haemorrhage. Hayley was diagnosed with stage 3 lymphoma and underwent emergency fertility treatment, followed by intense R-CHOP chemotherapy and two years of immunotherapy. In 2019, Hayley was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had to have a radical hysterectomy. In 2020, she was diagnosed with recurrence cervical cancer and had 25 days of intensive radiotherapy and two rounds of brachytherapy.

Hayley and Ben's strong desire to have their own child eventually led them to surrogacy and the birth of their adorable little boy, Arthur in 2022. Their surrogacy journey was long and arduous and also came with significant complications that put a much greater strain on their finances than expected. Hayley was unable to resume full-time work due to caring for Arthur, along with managing her ongoing cancer recovery and dealing with side effects, such as fatigue and chronic pain (fibromyalgia). She was also diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and depression. Due to Hayley's health issues, the surrogacy journey, COVID19 restrictions and depleted finances, she has been unable to return to England to visit her family since 2016.

Sadly, on 30th August 2024, Hayley received the devastating news that her loving father, Martin, had been diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 pancreatic cancer and is now in palliative care back in England. Unfortunately, they have had to borrow money (from a kind friend) for a one-way plane ticket for Hayley and Arthur, so that they can be with their father/grandfather and family during this truly heartbreaking time - while Ben remains in Australia to continue working. At this stage, Hayley is just hoping they get there in time to say goodbye.

If you can, please help to ease some of the financial burden (e.g. time & travel expenses etc) for this very deserving family, so they can focus on what is most important. Thank you for your consideration.