Hi, my name is Diane, and I’m starting this fundraiser for one of my closest friends, Jo.

Jo has had an incredibly difficult year. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Over the past 12 months, she has bravely undergone intense chemotherapy, surgery to remove the tumour and affected lymph nodes and four weeks of daily radiotherapy.

She then began immunotherapy, but soon after developed stroke-like symptoms and was admitted to hospital. After a week of tests, she was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, caused by a serious and rare reaction to the treatment. It was discovered that her nervous system had been attacked, leaving her extremely weak.

Jo and her doctors have now made the devastating decision to stop all cancer treatment, even though she is not yet in remission. She had been due to start another six months of chemotherapy tablets, but her medical team now fear that another infection could be more life-threatening than the cancer itself.

This leaves Jo with a high risk of recurrence and if the cancer returns, it will not be curable.

Jo is still suffering from the long-term side effects of her treatment, including neuropathy, fatigue, and weakness. Every day is a struggle but we remain hopeful that, with time and rest, she may begin to regain some strength in the coming months.

Despite everything, Jo continues to show strength, courage, and even her trademark humour. As she says, “I must be getting all the bad luck out of the way now — the wheel of fortune has to turn eventually, right?”

At the same time, Jo & her family are also caring for her daughter Hannah, who recently underwent leg surgery and will be in and out of Temple Street Hospital in the coming weeks. She is also preparing for major scoliosis surgery.

On top of this, Jo supports her elderly mother, who is unwell and needs help attending her own medical appointments.

The family’s car is their lifeline — for hospital visits, care needs, school runs and essential daily travel. But their current vehicle is no longer reliable, and financial hardship has made things even more stressful.

This fundraiser is to help Jo and her family secure a safe, reliable car, so they can continue to attend vital appointments and ease some of the daily strain.

Jo is one of the most loving and selfless people I know — even while facing the hardest chapter of her life, she still puts others first.

If you can help in any way, whether through a donation or simply by sharing this fundraiser, please know how deeply it’s appreciated. Every act of kindness brings us one step closer to helping Jo and her family through this incredibly hard time. ❤️