A Mothers Love

Hello - My name is Rosemary

I am writing this to try and bring some relief to what has been an absolutely horrendous few months for all our family, but most especially for my beautiful daughter Lisa, her husband Dean and their children.

Lisa is forty-one and was enjoying her family life including riding her horse, Arna. Then, on the 19th of March 2023, she suffered a massive seizure, which saw her husband Dean, performing CPR for nearly twenty minutes, while an ambulance rushed to help them. An MRI scan later revealed a large brain tumour and a prognosis of 6 months life expectancy without immediate intervention - our worlds fell apart! You feel numb, a sickness in your stomach, helplessness, disbelief, even anger, but mostly sad, just very sad.

A 9-hr operation saw Lisa rally, with 90% of the growth removed and she was doing so well, that she was allowed home within a week. Everything looked really good. Then five days later, Lisa suffered a massive stroke, which took her whole left side! Back in hospital once again – more scans, more needles and more pills, saw Lisa now becoming very depressed, shut down and withdrawn, which broke all our hearts.

The overwhelming kindness shown by family, friends and neighbours in and around our community, was absolutely overwhelming! Love, healing prayer, words of comfort and support - even bags of food given and gratefully received. Lisa, being a dog groomer and Dean, a carpenter, both had been unable to work since the seizure, with Lisa requiring 24/7 care. Unfortunately, welfare support has not been readily forthcoming and is unlikely for weeks, perhaps months – and it has been so appreciated to receive the most basic of necessities, like bread, milk, pasta and toilet paper etc from the generous community to help get them through this traumatic period.

Dean has been an absolute rock, however I know it has taken its toll, not only on his mental health, but also physically. Due to the high risk at this time of a further stroke or seizure, I know he lies awake every night, only getting a couple of hours sleep, just watching over Lisa – his absolute soulmate!

It’s now eight weeks since the tumour was removed & the biopsy has revealed a grade 3 Astrocytoma – this means that Lisa will require courses of chemotherapy & radiotherapy to shrink the growth of that remaining ten percent – all this on top of trying to recover from the stroke! Radiotherapy on the brain, can never be a pleasant experience & chemotherapy can be and mostly is, gruelling to say the least, however there are no choices here! – you fight & stay positive, or you don’t!

My heartfelt thanks go to the incredible Surgeon and his team, the Doctors, Nurses and Physiotherapists that have enabled Lisa to progress this far. My beautiful, sweet daughter IS a fighter and I am in awe of her positivity and determination to recover from this tumour and get her left- hand side back up & working!

I would like to send this amazing couple that have been through so much, away to a Cornish hotel where they can overlook a sandy beach, rest, recuperate and find themselves again. To just enjoy each other’s company for a short while, to help heal the physical & mental toll of the last few months. I would really like to make this the best it could possibly be and would love for them to be able to take some time away and not have any financial worries for this break.

We understand that not everyone will be in a position to donate, but sharing this campaign with your friends, family and social networks, would be greatly appreciated.

This is my Go Funding appeal

Thank you all so much for reading my story

Yours gratefully

Rosemary