Just a couple months after finally achieving her goal of relocating from Japan to Australia to start a new debt-free life, Mieko found herself in the ER with intense pain caused by a lesion on her pancreas. Not quite the fresh start she had been dreaming of...

A week in the hospital and several tests later, she was diagnosed with lymphoma. She's still waiting on biopsy results to know what stage the cancer is, but her doctors have told her it’s at least stage 3 or 4. They have already confirmed that she will need to undergo chemo therapy and, if eligible, CAR-T.

Her health insurance provider has refused coverage of the costs due to a stomach ache she had prior to signing up for her insurance plan. All foreseeable tests and procedures to come will have to be paid out of pocket, they say. These costs will be in addition to the $12,000 AUD of medical costs she already owes for her ER visit, her time in the hospital, and the tests administered up to this point.

If I can trust what I'm reading online so far, 3–4 months of lymphoma chemotherapy and CAR-T therapy in Australia will cost her between $100,000 to $120,000 AUD out of pocket.

With zero coverage from her insurance plan, that number could actually reach upwards (or even double) of $500,000 AUD, as CAR-T is currently one of the most expensive medical procedures there is.

If you'd like to help her get through this and finally get a fresh start, no contribution is too small or too big. She's too young and too fantastic of a person to be stuck with a life-threatening illness and crippling debt. Whether it's a dollar or several thousands of dollars, please pitch in and help Mieko through this.