My little sister Isabel, Izzy to everyone who loves her, is only 23 years old, and her world has been turned upside down with the discovery that she has a brain tumour.

Izzy was recently admitted to hospital due to a severe pain in her head, that was discovered to be encephalitis. As part of her testing she underwent an MRI and doctors discovered a tumour on her brain; something none of us ever expected to hear, especially about our Isabel.

Izzy is now scheduled to undergo a craniotomy on 23 October, where surgeons will remove as much of the tumour as possible. The tumour will then undergo further testing to determine exactly what we are dealing with and guide the treatment ahead.

At this stage, Izzy’s neurosurgery team believe the tumour is a low-grade glioma, a less aggressive form of brain cancer. While it may be less aggressive than other brain cancers, we have been told that it is not considered curable and will instead be something Izzy has to manage throughout her life.

Following surgery and the results of the testing, Izzy will likely need further treatment, potentially chemotherapy or radiation, depending on what her oncology team believes is the best course for her. After that comes the long road of recovery and adjusting to a new normal; one that will include regular scans, appointments, monitoring and the reality of living with brain cancer.

And then there’s everything that happens around the treatment.

Izzy shouldn’t have to worry about how she is going to pay the bills while she recovers. She shouldn’t have to choose between taking the time she needs to heal and trying to keep up with the cost of simply living. At 23, her only focus should be getting better and having the chance to build the life she deserves; not worrying about debt, finances and the financial impact of being so seriously unwell both on her and the people supporting her.

One of the hardest parts about this is Isabel is fundamentally a really good person. She is one of the most loving, kind and genuinely good people to exist. Already in the face of this awful news, Izzy is trying to be strong for the people around her, to make sure they are okay. That is just the sort of person she is.

The Izzy we know is endlessly kind and joyful. She is a nanny and loves looking after young kids and is incredibly loved by her niece and nephew who she helps look after. Isabel has been studying nursing, because she feels so passionately about helping people. She finds joy in all the beautiful things. Fresh flowers, her friends, her recently discovered love of pottery. She is young, vibrant and has so much life to live.

We’ve created this fundraiser to help take some of the financial pressure away from Izzy and our family while she goes through surgery, treatment and recovery. Every donation, no matter the amount, will help give Izzy the breathing room to focus on what matters most; her health, her recovery and finding her new normal.

If you can’t donate, sharing Izzy’s story means just as much to us. Thank you for supporting Izzy, believing in her and helping us carry some of this weight with her.

My little sister has spent her whole life being there for the people she loves. Now it’s our turn to be there for her. ❤️