Hi

We are Candace and Loren, two sisters fundraising to help our parents Robyn and John (aka Steven). Our parents are hardworking members of the community who have recently fallen on tough times since our mum's cancer diagnosis. Robyn is a devoted mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend. Beloved by those who know her she is the most caring, full of life person who always makes time for others. Her unwavering strength in the face of this life-threatening diagnosis inspires us every day. Our parents have spent their lives in service to others, and with their 40th anniversary approaching this year, the gift we would like to give them most is time.

Mums story: After months of back and forth with different doctors to try to find the source of her pain, mum was diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer in October of 2023. Medically it was described as ‘high grade serious carcinoma’. The diagnosis was a huge shock to us all as she had always been a very well person who looked after her health and there was no family history of this disease. While the prognosis was not without hope, this is a very aggressive type of cancer. Since her diagnosis, she has continued to fight every day. Under the care of the local medical team in Australia, she has completed 6 doses of an aggressive chemotherapy, as well as multiple surgeries and procedures. In April 2024 she had her biggest surgery. It took the medical team over 8 hours to meticulously do all they could to remove what was left of the cancer through her body. We are so grateful for the care she has received and the countless doctors and nurses who have given their time for her care. We also want to stress how grateful we are for the support, kind words and prayers from our family and friends during this time. It meant SO much.

When mums' cancer re-occurred in October of 2024, after all she had been through, we were devastated. It had come back very rapidly so decisions had to be made fast. The initial chemotherapy treatments had been so aggressive on her body. Her neuropathy (nerve damage) was already so bad, any further conventional types of chemotherapy options would have done more damage than good. This was no longer a viable option for her. Our naturopath had previously introduced us to a facility in Thailand where they used integrative methods as well as lower dose chemotherapy to treat cancer. Having done our research on this facility as well as multiple zoom calls with the doctor, it was decided that this was the best option for us to pursue. Within weeks, mum flew to Thailand, accompanied by us, to have treatment for a period of 8 weeks. Meanwhile our father stayed behind to work and fund her stay.

By week 8, scans were done and we learned that more treatment was needed as the cancer wasn’t responding as hoped. The medical team immediately put into effect plan B, with a new treatment protocol that they feel will be more successful. However, it involves her continuing in Bangkok for a minimum of another 4 weeks. As you can imagine this was again overwhelming news to receive. 8 weeks is a long time to be apart as a family, it is the longest our parents have ever been apart. Cancer treatments are also extremely expensive and this unexpected turn of events has made our situation very difficult.

This is where we have decided to reach out to our community for help. The decision to do this has not been an easy one. The thought of putting such deeply personal details out for others to read is very daunting. But at this point, we need help. We are asking for donations so that our mum can continue her cancer treatment for another month. We would love more than anything for her to be able to return to Australia with the best possible chance of beating this horrible disease. Asking for donations is not something that we take lightly, and as a family we have been and are doing our utmost to fund as much as possible ourselves. The treatment plan costs approximately $10,000 per week and that does not include scans and additional medications. We dearly love our parents, and we have been greatly moved by ones who expressed an interest in supporting. 100% of the funds received, will go towards helping to cover the extra month of medical expenses required to help our mum.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story, and thank you for your consideration in helping our family through this difficult time. Every little bit helps, please donate and share as you are able.