CLARENCE TOWN CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ANNUAL FUNDRAISER - PROUDLY SUPPORTING YOUNG LOCAL WOMAN, ELLA RUSAK, IN HER FIGHT AGAINST STAGE FOUR BOWEL CANCER.

For those of you who are unable to visit our lights personally to make a donation, please feel free to donate here. Thank you so much.

Please help us support this young lady. Every dollar helps and every cent will be handed directly to Ella.

Ella has been fighting stage four bowel cancer for the past three years and has done so with a great deal of positivity and dignity, even in her darkest of times, and there have been many of those times.

We feel that after 60 rounds of chemo and a battle that no-one should ever have to face, particularly at such a young age, Ella is more than deserving of being the recipient of any funds raised.

We ask that you give generously to help support this young lady and demonstrate the community support you have all so kindly shown to those we have supported in the past.

Thank you all in advance for your never-ending support, kindness and generosity. We are very grateful to both our local and surrounding communities for the Christmas spirit shown by all of you, each and every year.

'Hi there, my name is Ella Rusak and I was diagnosed with stage 4 Bowel Cancer that had spread to my liver extensively and a little bit to my lungs when I was 28, three years ago in November 2020. I had every symptom of Bowel Cancer imaginable, and I was sick for a very long time, but no doctors had taken me seriously. They only told me that I was ‘too young’ for cancer and kept misdiagnosing me with minor things like IBS, despite my alarming symptoms. When I finally had a colonoscopy after 6 months, they found I had Bowel Cancer and it was bad. I was rushed to the John hospital for further tests. The junior surgeon who gave my mum and me the news of just how bad my situation was. She basically told us that I had weeks to live, months at best. I thought my life was over that day. But I started seeing a great oncologist at the Mater hospital, who put me on an extremely strong regime of chemo. He was so much more positive than any of the other doctors I had seen. But my prognosis was still inoperable, incurable, chemo for life. I was so sick in those first few months, I thought I would die. But my body got stronger and that chemo killed so much of the tumour in my liver. And then a small miracle happened, and I was able to have a bowel resection surgery where they cut out 30 cm of my Bowel. It’s not without its troubles there, because I was given a colostomy bag, which is a difficult obstacle to overcome.

Over three years, I’ve had 60 rounds of chemo. But the chemo recently stopped working, and I was told by my oncologist that there were no more options left for treatment for me anymore, unless I was able to get into a clinical trial. While there are lots of these around, the criteria is very strict in the eligibility is extremely tough. After weeks of tests, I was finally told I was eligible for a trial in Sydney, in Randwick near the Prince of Wales Hospital. The trial is run in the Bright Centre by the Scientia Clinical Research Foundation. I have started a new chemo drug which is a phase 1 trial.

There’s a lot of unknown l me for the future, but I try to live my life as positively as I can, doing all the things I love with my friends and family within in the community that I love.

I’m always trying to create as much awareness for Bowel Cancer, particularly for early onset - for young people. No matter how much your symptoms are, see your doctor and stand up for yourself - make your voice heard. Bowel Cancer can be treated (and subsequently cured) in its early stages.'

Please open up your hearts and help us support Ella. All funds are greatly appreciated.

Thank you all so much.