Jorgo

To my beautiful friends and community,

I am organising this fundraising to support a dear friend who is facing an enormous challenge and she does it with such grace and determination, amidst her great emotional pain and turmoil.

My friend Elizabeth Popovski needs no introduction. You will all agree that she is an integral part and one of the unassuming pillars of our community. An incredibly strong woman with a fierce love for people and in no uncertain terms, her family. Anyone who knows her on a more personal level will know that her immediate family extends across the two continents. And she cares for all of her family with everything in her power and heart.

And this is Jorgo.

Liz’s brother lives in Macedonia.

Jorgo is 48 old. He has lived a content life despite his severe disability alongside his devoted mother as his sole carer. Unfortunately, she passed away in October of last year. Liz travelled to Macedonia to care for their sick mother and also her brother that had the earth pulled from under his feet with his mother’s passing. Liz’s immediate sisterly reaction was to bring Jorgo to Australia with her. But, it was their mum’s wish that he remained in Bitola, as she had done such an amazing job in preparing him for life after her. He would open the window every morning, sun or snow, to let the fresh air in. He would take out his doona and blankets on the balcony each morning just like mum taught him. He would keep the house immaculate with not a single dish in the sink just like mum showed him. Then he would go for his regular stroll down Sirok Sokak. He finds joy in the little things. The small talk and the warm smile of the familiar faces. Then he would go back home. Alone. This pained his sister enormously and she wanted nothing more than to have him here in Australia with her.

We watched her agonise over her dilemma. Her internal struggle and the uncertainty of what the best course for Jorgo was kept her awake at night. But she was deeply aware of his wish to remain in his familiar setting of our beloved Bitola. She likened bringing him here at his age and with his disability to putting a beautiful bird in a cage. So, instead, she set up a network of people, neighbours, friends and family to make sure Jorgo was looked after in her absence. While she figured out a plan. In the meantime, she would check up on him regularly. She would face time him for hours on end all through the night and come to work and read with our students as if nothing happened.

And life was okay. Until it wasn’t.

A week ago today, face time went silent. Liz frantically tried to call Jorgo to no avail. She sent friends to do a welfare check. He wouldn’t answer the door. Upon forcing their way into the flat, they found him in bed, unresponsive. Shattered glass lay on the floor.

Jorgo was hospitalised immediately. A week later and he is still unresponsive. He seems to be deteriorating by the day. It was only yesterday that Liz got the news no sister wants to hear. The diagnosis is cancer that has metastasised to the brain.

Liz, who only came back from Macedonia in January after long months of caring for her mother, will now be flying back to Jorgo. She is determined to be there for him. No ifs or buts. I asked her many times if there was anything we could do for her. Humble as she is she says she will be fine and she will manage. I wonder how. Love simply isn’t enough. There are the travel expenses. Medical expenses. The unpaid leave she has to take as she had exhausted all of her leave in her previous family crisis.

Although we pray and want to remain hopeful that Jorgo will recover, it is clear that he will require long-term care and support.

The aim of this fundraiser is to assist the family with whatever their needs might be. Any funds raised will go towards Jorgo’s medical care and treatment, as he is soon to be discharged from the hospital into Liz’s care.

If you would like to assist with the financial burden, any donations will be greatly appreciated.

Thanking you in advance,

From the bottom of the heart