This is Laurie. He is a husband, father, brother, uncle, father-in- law and granddad - not to mention a
great friend to many. He is a true blue, hard working Aussie bloke who’s spent half of his life working
outdoors in the harsh Australian sun.
Unfortunately the Australian summer of Laurie’s childhood and his formative working years (in the days
before ‘Slip Slop Slap’) were fantastic and free but as we now know, extremely dangerous and damaging. Something Laurie (and most of his generation) was oblivious to.
Two years ago Laurie was diagnosed with a SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA (the ‘not so talked about’ little brother of the nasty MELANOMA).
Laurie seemed well. Strong, active and cheeky as ever. How could he be seriously ill and not know?
In typical Laurie fashion, he took it on the chin using humour and wit to diffuse the stress, anxiety and rising panic of his family.
After many appointments ,biopsies , removals of skin cancers and radiation therapy the cancer was still active.
Following advice from his specialists, Laurie immediately undertook radical surgery for a very aggressive Squamous Cell Carcinoma. He lost an ear. All of it - inner, middle and outer ear as well as a big chunk of his jaw. We all, his specialists included, thought this radical surgery was the answer and he would be cancer free. A mere 6 weeks later and he now has three more cancerous growths, one of which is close his windpipe.
Without further treatment, LAURIE HAS BEEN GIVEN 3 MONTHS TO LIVE.
But Laurie is a fighter!! He’s ready and willing to fight. What are they waiting for? Sadly surgery is no longer an option. Most devastatingly, there are current trials running that he does not qualify for and others that may take a couple of months to get started. Time is something Laurie does not have.
BUT HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS….there is treatment available. BUT each session is $6,000. Being a battler all his life, Laurie doesn’t have a spare $6,000 for one treatment let alone the $18,000 for the first 3 treatments the doctors have recommended. Raising 4 kids on a farm breeding Clydesdales – it’s a lifetime of passion and commitment, God knows its not a money spinner.
We, his loving family, DESPARATELY want to raise money to fund Laurie’s treatment so that he can get started NOW. He doesn’t have 1 or 2 months to wait for a trial. We can't lose him. He needs to start this treatment right now.
In a life full of hard work and sacrifice – the only thing he longs for is enough time and health to visit his much loved Scotland and the Military Tattoo. We want to raise funds to get Laurie well and make this dream come true.
Additionally – we want to raise awareness of this lesser known cancer SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA. It’s flying under the radar but is aggressive and devastates families. So any additional funds raised will be put to this research.
If you can't spare the funds then please spread the word about this devestating disease. Laurie was recently featured on the Sunsmart Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SunSmartAus) where you can follow his story (look for "Meet Laurie").
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for taking the time to read Laurie’s story.
great friend to many. He is a true blue, hard working Aussie bloke who’s spent half of his life working
outdoors in the harsh Australian sun.
Unfortunately the Australian summer of Laurie’s childhood and his formative working years (in the days
before ‘Slip Slop Slap’) were fantastic and free but as we now know, extremely dangerous and damaging. Something Laurie (and most of his generation) was oblivious to.
Two years ago Laurie was diagnosed with a SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA (the ‘not so talked about’ little brother of the nasty MELANOMA).
Laurie seemed well. Strong, active and cheeky as ever. How could he be seriously ill and not know?
In typical Laurie fashion, he took it on the chin using humour and wit to diffuse the stress, anxiety and rising panic of his family.
After many appointments ,biopsies , removals of skin cancers and radiation therapy the cancer was still active.
Following advice from his specialists, Laurie immediately undertook radical surgery for a very aggressive Squamous Cell Carcinoma. He lost an ear. All of it - inner, middle and outer ear as well as a big chunk of his jaw. We all, his specialists included, thought this radical surgery was the answer and he would be cancer free. A mere 6 weeks later and he now has three more cancerous growths, one of which is close his windpipe.
Without further treatment, LAURIE HAS BEEN GIVEN 3 MONTHS TO LIVE.
But Laurie is a fighter!! He’s ready and willing to fight. What are they waiting for? Sadly surgery is no longer an option. Most devastatingly, there are current trials running that he does not qualify for and others that may take a couple of months to get started. Time is something Laurie does not have.
BUT HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS….there is treatment available. BUT each session is $6,000. Being a battler all his life, Laurie doesn’t have a spare $6,000 for one treatment let alone the $18,000 for the first 3 treatments the doctors have recommended. Raising 4 kids on a farm breeding Clydesdales – it’s a lifetime of passion and commitment, God knows its not a money spinner.
We, his loving family, DESPARATELY want to raise money to fund Laurie’s treatment so that he can get started NOW. He doesn’t have 1 or 2 months to wait for a trial. We can't lose him. He needs to start this treatment right now.
In a life full of hard work and sacrifice – the only thing he longs for is enough time and health to visit his much loved Scotland and the Military Tattoo. We want to raise funds to get Laurie well and make this dream come true.
Additionally – we want to raise awareness of this lesser known cancer SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA. It’s flying under the radar but is aggressive and devastates families. So any additional funds raised will be put to this research.
If you can't spare the funds then please spread the word about this devestating disease. Laurie was recently featured on the Sunsmart Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SunSmartAus) where you can follow his story (look for "Meet Laurie").
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for taking the time to read Laurie’s story.