Michael's Greece Trip
Donation protected
Michael’s story, in his own words
My name is Michael.
I am 26 years old, and I have been living with brain cancer since just before I turned 5. I was diagnosed with a brainstem glioma pilocytic astrocytoma. There is no cure to my condition.
I have had over forty brain surgeries, five rounds of chemotherapy, 63 rounds of radiotherapy, and am now in long-term palliative care. There is not much more the doctors can offer me but I will continue fighting every day because I shouldn’t even be here right now, but I live to tell the tale.
Hope and faith get me through.
I am a fighter, but I am also tired. I am tired of putting on a brave face, and tired of saying ‘why me’. In most respects though, I consider myself very lucky. I am a survivor.
My journey is not over and I will not give up.
Cancer is not all that I am. I am committed to giving back in life. A lot of people have taken care of me over the years. We don’t have a lot of money, and the hospitals and cancer support groups have really helped. They made me feel normal and like I belonged and gave me and my family opportunities that we otherwise wouldn’t have gotten – a wish from Make A Wish, going to concerts, weekends away and theme parks.
I also volunteer at St John Ambulance and State Emergency Services and recently became a registered Enrolled nurse. I got my first job at a Victorian hospital but unfortunately my condition has deteriorated, and I am not currently able to work. This has been devastating for me and I hope to be able to do what I love again some day soon.
My dream is to travel. Specifically, travel to Greece. My family is from Greece and I’ve never had the opportunity to visit. It has been difficult with my illness but it is on my bucket list and I really want to see where my mum went to school, my dad rode donkeys, and my grandparents got on the boat on their journey to Australia.
Medical and travel insurance is incredibly expensive due to my condition. Any contribution to help me to achieve this dream would mean the world to me.
Organizer
Rhiannon Davies
Organizer
Melbourne, VIC