Let's All Dance With Suzanne Against Cancer

Suzanne is our little girl. She is two and a half, adorable, cute, and distributes love and hugs wherever she is. And, of course, she loves dancing. Since she was a baby, you could put any song on, and she would move her little body and cheer you up.

For only a few weeks, Suzanne complained of tiredness. We observed her and had her checked by her GP, but nothing was worrying since she had to adapt to a new rhythm at the preschool. On October 21st, 2022, Suzanne was seen at Cork University Hospital. The same morning she woke up with slight tremors in her right hand. Our fears built up throughout the day, and we eventually discovered a large mass in the left part of her brain. Suzanne was immediately transferred to Temple Street Hospital in Dublin, and we started a difficult and costly fight (25,000€) to have her repatriated to France. Leaving Ireland was a heart-breaking decision, but we knew from the beginning that the support of all our family and friends would be crucial to go through all the difficulties awaiting us.

After a couple of weeks, Suzanne was diagnosed with a complex and very rare type of brain tumour. Only two cases are recorded in France every year. She was admitted to Gustave Roussy Institute and will quickly start a heavy treatment that will last a year, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. We now have to reorganise our life here in Paris, find a place to live and ensure schooling for our oldest girl, Elizabeth.

In the blink of an eye, our lives transformed. Mary gave up her clinical practice before even starting it, Sébastien suspended his exciting PhD, and Elizabeth had to leave a school, a house and a town she loved so much. Suzanne lost a lot, and we don’t know what her future will look like.

We are optimistic and resourceful people. We’ve already observed beautiful expressions of compassion from everywhere, close relatives but also complete strangers. All these bits of kindness, hope and happiness give us the strength to fight for Suzanne and our family.

The road ahead will be long and difficult. We both stopped our activities, and we hope your help will reduce the financial burden and allow us to focus entirely on Suzanne and her sister, Elizabeth. We are aware not everybody can make a financial contribution. Don’t be sorry for that; your positive thoughts are equally important to us. Also, you can help by spreading the word and sharing this page around you.

Thank you so much for joining the fight and mobilising to keep Suzanne dancing.