Help the Penney-Macs with rare cancer diagnosis in pregnancy

Hi, my name is Paula and I'm fundraising for my sister-in-law Robyn Penney and my brother Andy MacDonald, who are expecting their first child.

We have just learned that Robyn, at 31 weeks pregnant, has a very rare form of head and neck cancer. Thankfully, Baby Penney-Mac is healthy and growing happily but she will need to come 5 weeks early and there is potential for her to require the NICU.

Very shortly after giving birth, Robyn will need to undergo a long, invasive surgery to remove the tumour. Her medical team is exceptional, but they have braced the couple to expect an extended hospital stay as well as long post-operative healing and rehabilitation. The prognosis is good for both mama and baby, but the path to full health is daunting. As you can imagine, Robyn and Andy are feeling a considerable amount of stress and uncertainty - beyond the normal challenges of starting a family.

Our goal with this fundraiser is to relieve them of some financial stress so they can focus on their health: physically, mentally, and emotionally. These donations will help fund costly medication not covered by insurance, daily transportation to/from the hospital, healthy meals, in-home support (doula, nursing), and allow Andy additional time away from his counselling practice to care for his girls <3

We recognize not everyone is in a position to donate - we appreciate any form of love and care from Robyn and Andy's community.