Help our Earth Angel Tammy Makin

If you don’t know our “Earth Angel”, Tammy Makin, let us introduce you….

 

Tammy is a loving mother, sister, daughter and nurse who has helped thousands of children and elderly in our community for over 40 years. She has advocated fiercely for the marginalised and disadvantaged. Now it is time for us to advocate for her. Tammy needs your help to ensure she can continue making a difference in our lives.

 

Tammy has three perfect, kind, caring children and five grandchildren. Tammy is everyone’s friend; there’s no one she doesn’t have time for and she is very well known and loved. Tammy is the most helpful, kind, generous, welcoming, compassionate person we know.

 

Tammy started her career when she was 18 years. In her 40 years of practice, she has led departments leading a gold standard of care. One of her biggest achievements has been her work in the community- Tammy saw a desperate need for children with type diabetes to have access to education and support. She also saw the parents who were at the mercy of this disease, not knowing which way to turn as they fought to keep their children alive and living a life as close to normal as possible. In 2005, Tammy started the type 1 diabetes support group. She fundraised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund youth education camps which have now become a mainstay in the Illawarra. Tammy connected children with children and parents with parents. Families were no longer alone and together, they stood on Tammy’s shoulders as they lived their lives.

 

Tammy then focussed her career to supporting the vulnerable elderly. Her role at HammondCare has seen her advocate and help people to stay in their homes. To live with dignity. To live the lives they deserve.

 

If you are reading this, it is likely you know Tammy. You all know so much more about her than what we have been able to put in this short blurb. How do you capture the life of a woman who has served so many and changed so many lives? The only way to describe her is by calling her our Earth Angel.

 

In 2020, Tammy was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer. This Breast Cancer has been aggressive. Tammy has fought and fought hard. She has taken on months and months of chemotherapy. She has undergone multiple surgeries. She has withstood gruelling radiation. She has done this because she wants to continue to serve the community she loves so dearly. All through this challenging time, through COVID Tammy has continued to be our community’s Earth Angel. In her hardest times, she stood tall during our hardest time.

 

After some reprieve from treatment, Tammy started to get on with life. Tammy was looking forward to what she could do next. Unfortunately, this Earth Angel has had her wings clipped again. Her cancer has spread to her brain. Right now, her options are limited. She continues to fight to get her life back on track, but the outlook is ultimately bleak.

 

However, recently, a new drug has been approved for use in Australia, which has had some incredible success. Tukysa is Tammy’s final hope to be able to continue her service. Everyone has been so excited! There is hope. It’s just that hope comes at the cost of $15,000 a month.

 

When you dedicate your life to serving others, you ultimately sacrifice your own. You make a choice knowing you’ll never be financially rich, but you will be rich knowing the difference you made in people’s lives. We are calling on that wealth for help. We are calling on you to help Tammy live. We are calling on you as our community to give back to a woman that gave so much to us.

 

Every single dollar counts. We are hoping to be able to provide treatment for at least six months. We know this is a huge ask of you all, but we can do it together! We can give Tammy the opportunity to live. This is our chance to give back to her.