Save an Unsung Legend's (Macca's) Life

EVERY CONTRIBUTION COUNTS BIG TIME! This is for a woman who gives to others and needs our help back now :) x

Hi, my name is Forest, and I am fundraising for Macarena. She has been battling an extreme medical crisis with a strong fatality rate since April 2022. Keep reading because she REALLY DESERVES community help x

WHO IS MACA?!

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Firstly, Maca is an absolute legend. Of all people I know, with my hand on my heart, I can honestly say she deserves this social support from as many of us as possible.

She already gives so much to community - she has dedicated her life to helping children with disability and children who've experienced adversity. She fiercely loves the children she works with (a quality that is too rare!). My stepson Leo has severe autism, and whilst countless people have rapidly quit working with him, Maca has supported him for two years with infinite love that I frankly haven't seen any others give him. She has been a lifeline to him. I know we aren't the only family with an extraordinary appreciation for her loving, caring nature towards kids, even the kids that others find 'too difficult' to 'bother' with.

She truly advocates for children's well-being and she has a solid moral code. When she isn't helping children, she is a therapist for Spanish-speaking adults having their own crisis. In the past she has worked in disability centres, child psychology and helping children in Family Violence court cases. I have been through domestic violence with my first daughter, and she will suggest thoughtful ways to help my child too! She really lives from her heart and cares so much about people - her presence is so appreciated!

Maca caring for Leo, who really relies on her :)

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MACCA?

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At just 31 years old, in April this year (2022), Maca was admitted to emergency hospital and stayed in ICU for weeks with severe full body rashes, huge enlarged lymphs, extreme swelling, uncontrollable fever, scary blood results and multi-system failure. The doctors finally decided that she had stage-4 cancer, only to then take this back. A murkier, rarer but scarily fatal ( usually far worse than stage-4 cancer! which seems unimaginable but true) medical picture was emerging.

She is likely to be suffering from rare Secondary HLH. Had Maca have been hospitalised in her home country of Chile without the world-class Australian standards, statistics suggest there's a strong chance she'd have died in ICU without a diagnosis. This happens at a phenomenally high rate everywhere in the world due to the rarity and severity of the condition! I believe what led her to Australia is somehow a blessing in itself given what she is now facing - she deserves the best chance at survival, and together we can reduce her financial stress so she can have a red, hot crack at surviving this beast!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH MACA NOW & WHY SHE NEEDS YOUR HELP

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Firstly, Maca is not Australian, so she cannot access Medicare. Her initial insurance policy stopped backing her, so she has been financially backing herself to literally 'survive' this year.

This means that she is intermittently leaving the hospital to work, only for her severe symptoms to rapidly return - for her to try to ignore them whilst she earns more money - then to return to hospital and pay the $600 admission fee every few weeks.

She now has phenomenal costs of life-saving hospitalisation, medication and insurance :(

It has been more than 6 months but the doctors so far cannot find the underlying cause of her HLH. This means that there is not much of a treatment plan. There's a trial and error aspect to the high (and physically damaging in other ways) dosages of medicine she is taking to try to suppress symptoms.. ..which continually come back.

She has considered returning to Chile. However, because of the severity of HLH, is scared that her risk of dying will increase (likely).

My partner and I have been concerned for dear Maca because whilst she has been graciously working to back herself without the assumption of help from anyone else, the stress of financially managing a condition with such high fatality risk is heart-wrenching to see.

As she worked with our autistic son over this weekend, only to go back to hospital at the end of her shifts (yet again), we just can't imagine how this situation can keep going with her working in this state, yet she hasn't had another choice due to the financial need to pay for everything. When she gets out of the hospital she will typically have to get back to work. Her bravery and courage is beyond.. I can only imagine having to deal with this situation in a foreign country by yourself.

She last attended work with us for two days covered in extreme body rashes, swelling and intense itchiness that prevented her from sleeping. She'd had to drop other shifts which places financial pressure on her (though she doesn't complain )

MACA IS HERE IN AUSTRALIA ALONE; MAKE HER CHRISTMAS AMAZING & SHOW SOME CARE BACK FOR HER!

HLH ends life without treatment, and it doesn't go away on its own (requires significant medical intervention), and hers is complex, mysterious, high-risk and difficult to treat.

THIS IS WHAT YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS WILL BACK HER FOR THE NEXT 6 MONTHS (though she probably needs about 18 months of coverage to beat this f#$@% with intensive hospital treatments like chemo and perhaps an eventual bone marrow transplant! I've started on the lower end to give her some relief that she can use as the needs emerge):

NOTE - I would post pictures of her in the hospital, but the body swelling, rashes, etc., don't always put her in the best light of her beautiful self! Instead, here are some snaps of her with some of the kids she really cares about and who adore her too:

THANK YOU DEEPLY FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND INTEREST IN MACA!

Please share this story and know that every contribution at any amount counts so much for her and all the children she is on this earth to directly help.

I WILL POST UPDATES FOR YOU ALLX X X