Help our Ali recover from breast cancer

Hello, I’m Paula and I truly appreciate you taking a moment to read our story, about my daughter.

August of last year, 2023, brought an unexpected challenge to our life, that we never saw coming.

Our beloved Ali was unfortunately diagnosed with an aggressive triple-negative breast cancer grade 3, at age 29.

The previous year, Ali had gone to the doctor’s with suspicions about breast lumps and after a physical examination only, was turned away, with the comment that it was simply dense breast tissue. The following year the same happened again, but Ali persisted and after an ultrasound scan and three painful subsequent biopsies of her armpit and breast tissue, it was determined that she had breast cancer, which had spread to her neck, armpit and pectoral muscle.

From that moment on her life changed drastically. She was immediately thrown into fertility preservation, involving daily IVF injections for 10 days, followed by an egg retrieval procedure. She then began her chemotherapy, alongside immunotherapy, for six months.

Despite the uncomfortable PICC line, the painful cold cap, the gruelling side effects of treatment, the mental struggle, menopausal symptoms from ovarian suppression, the isolation of not being able to see loved ones or continue her work as an actor, yoga teacher and photographer, she has done amazingly well and has always remained herself. Even in the darkest of days she would find a way to tell a joke and make us laugh.

But the treatment has definitely taken a toll on her body, organs and mental health. Having completed her six months of chemotherapy, she is currently about to undergo a mastectomy and lymph node removal surgery, followed by 15 rounds of radiotherapy and then immunotherapy for another eight months.

A family friend, who also suffered from breast cancer, credits her healing to a pioneering holistic cancer care treatment centre in the Philippines, called The Farm at San Benito and recommended it to us. She said, if we have the chance to go, we should definitely do it.

We want to give Ali the best chance at recovery and being able to live a life as full as possible once her ordeal is over. The cancer care program at the clinic aims to minimise the impacts and effects that the chemotherapy has had on the organs, this includes treatments like liver compresses and kidney cleansing.

This will give Ali a chance to have the quality of life most mums just want their kids to have. We just don’t have the resources to do this alone, and as her mum it breaks my heart that I can’t. The road ahead is still uncertain and we don’t know what lies ahead, but knowing that we have this opportunity to look forward to, would be of great comfort at this time.

Any money donated will be used to fund Ali a place at the facility this summer when her radiotherapy is finished. Any contribution you are able to make is so greatly appreciated, I know it’s a tough time for most of us and so if you aren't able to contribute money at this time I completely understand, so

a share with your friends and family would mean the world to us too.

Ali expresses her heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your support and kindness and is so touched by you taking the time to read her story.

- Paula