Please Help Dawn Fight Cancer

Hi everyone,

We are reaching out to you, to ask for your help. We have set up this urgent fundraiser on behalf of our beautiful sister Dawn, her husband Dara and their four children Naoise, Céalan, Seren and Eja, to help cover upcoming expenses in her battle against aggressive cancer.

In 2016 her world was rocked. Dawn was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Initially, Dawn responded well to treatment which included surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. However, in 2021 her cancer sadly returned and she has since found out, she has Basaloid Squamous Cell Carcinoma cancer, which is an extremely rare malignant tumour type cancer.

Outside of her family, Dawn has dedicated her life to horses. She is at her happiest when working with horses and sharing her vast knowledge with all who know her. Dawn especially loves caring for horses’ health and well-being and has a special talent for teaching and bringing on young riders with whom she’s had great success. In recent months her cancer has limited her ability to help others.

Over these past 18 months, Dawn has undergone major surgery, several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. She has also worked with integrative cancer nutritionists to help support her through treatment and help slow down the rate of tumour growth and further spread of cancer.

Due to the aggressive and unrelenting nature of this type of cancer, time is unfortunately a luxury we do not have as there is no known scientific cure for this devastating illness. Dawn is currently extremely weak and her body is unable to undergo and withstand any more chemotherapy. At present, she is at home being cared for by her family and the local Wexford Hospice.

Dawn is now on a mission to undertake Dendritic Cell Therapy that will target the tumours directly with her immune system. This treatment has previously seen success in extending life expectancies in cancer patients. This ground-breaking treatment is now available privately in Ireland under “Innovita Life”.

The treatment: Dendritic Cell Therapy was developed as a promising and effective treatment option for cancer patients. Especially when combined with standard therapy in an adjuvant treatment setting but can also be successfully used as a monotherapy.

Unlike active immunotherapy, Dendritic Cell Vaccines and Cytokine Induced Killers (CIK) have a direct killing effect on tumour cells, which in general can be termed as passive immunotherapy.

A large number of clinical trials demonstrated encouraging results and have shown that CIK cells may prevent recurrence, stop the progression as well as improve overall survival while enhancing the quality of life in cancer patients.

In December 2022 Dawn had a consultation with the team of doctors in Innovita Life and is deemed a suitable candidate for this treatment which we hope to start as a matter of urgency. Our family is now on a mission to help fundraise the finances required for this treatment so that Dawn can improve her quality of life and extend as many years as she can with her family.

Currently, everyday living with this type of cancer is a fight for survival and takes its toll both physically and mentally. The glimmer of light in the current darkness is the possibility of this innovative Dendritic Cell Therapy extending Dawn's life by pushing her cancer into remission.

We have set up this GoFundMe page on behalf of Dawn, to help us raise the vital finances required to cover the cost of this treatment and to give her every possible chance. We aim to raise €55,000 as quickly as possible to cover the total costs required to proceed with treatment. Donations can be made anonymously if preferred.

In advance, we sincerely thank you for supporting us on this mission and helping us to help Dawn. We are incredibly grateful for any support no matter how big or small.

Our heartfelt thanks to you all,

Tonya, Rachel and Ken