Love and Support for Keri Coles & her family
Donation protected
Keri Coles, who is sunshine in human form, has recently received a devastating diagnosis at 41 years of age. For those connected to her, near and far, this is an incomprehensible turn of events. In her words, via Facebook:
"We are no longer moving to Europe to pursue my master’s degree. I have just been diagnosed with advanced metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Basically, non-smoker’s lung cancer that has spread and is not curable.
My oncologist said the average life expectancy for people in my condition is 6 months without treatment and 1.5 years with treatment.
There is a small 10 per cent chance of responding well to treatment and surviving 5 years and beyond. That is obviously what I am shooting for. But as they say, plan for the worst and hope for the best.
While this diagnosis would be devastating at any stage of my life, the fact that I have a young daughter that I am most likely going to leave motherless, is utterly soul-shattering."
In early June, she received more bad news: the cancer has spread to other parts of her body. True to Keri's loving and selfless nature, her first thought is naturally of her daughter, as the family faces an unbearably uncertain future. Any financial support you can offer will go directly to the Coles family to ensure they can spend as much time as possible together making life-long memories over the summer, as well as covering the costs of additional medical and naturopathic treatments for Keri. Keri pours her heart and soul into her work as a photographer and journalist, and was preparing to begin a 2-year Master's program in Denmark this summer. With that dream on hold for now, it would mean so much if, through the generosity of her community and all those who love her, we could contribute to her daughter's future post-secondary education to encourage and honour lifelong learning.
We all know that cancer doesn't discriminate. But this should never have happened to Keri. By taking action and giving whatever you can, the sense of helplessness will be lessened.
Your donation equates to a most precious and priceless gift: Time. Time devoted to loved ones, free from the worry of a steady source of income. Time spent slowly in new or favourite places, having new experiences. Time added to the journey, by affording expanded treatment options or medication. Time, many years from now, when her daughter will spend hours writing papers and studying to pursue a career in a field she has sparked a passion for.
It's impossible to be unaffected by Keri's courage, grace and contagious smile. She is compassionate, brilliant and funny. She listens more than she talks but her voice is powerful and she always knows the right thing to say. It seems probable that she is a more evolved human being than the rest of us, and therefore makes us want to be better. Please help keep Keri's light burning as bright as it ever has by supporting her and her family and easing this incredibly difficult time for our dear friend. We have been brought to our knees by this news, but we have a wonderful, unified community that has collectively benefitted from having Keri in it. It's time to show her some of the sunshine she's shown us, even if you've only been lucky enough to catch just a ray.
We will always have hope for the best outcome. Thank you so much.
"If there's ever an answer.......it's more love."
"We are no longer moving to Europe to pursue my master’s degree. I have just been diagnosed with advanced metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Basically, non-smoker’s lung cancer that has spread and is not curable.
My oncologist said the average life expectancy for people in my condition is 6 months without treatment and 1.5 years with treatment.
There is a small 10 per cent chance of responding well to treatment and surviving 5 years and beyond. That is obviously what I am shooting for. But as they say, plan for the worst and hope for the best.
While this diagnosis would be devastating at any stage of my life, the fact that I have a young daughter that I am most likely going to leave motherless, is utterly soul-shattering."
In early June, she received more bad news: the cancer has spread to other parts of her body. True to Keri's loving and selfless nature, her first thought is naturally of her daughter, as the family faces an unbearably uncertain future. Any financial support you can offer will go directly to the Coles family to ensure they can spend as much time as possible together making life-long memories over the summer, as well as covering the costs of additional medical and naturopathic treatments for Keri. Keri pours her heart and soul into her work as a photographer and journalist, and was preparing to begin a 2-year Master's program in Denmark this summer. With that dream on hold for now, it would mean so much if, through the generosity of her community and all those who love her, we could contribute to her daughter's future post-secondary education to encourage and honour lifelong learning.
We all know that cancer doesn't discriminate. But this should never have happened to Keri. By taking action and giving whatever you can, the sense of helplessness will be lessened.
Your donation equates to a most precious and priceless gift: Time. Time devoted to loved ones, free from the worry of a steady source of income. Time spent slowly in new or favourite places, having new experiences. Time added to the journey, by affording expanded treatment options or medication. Time, many years from now, when her daughter will spend hours writing papers and studying to pursue a career in a field she has sparked a passion for.
It's impossible to be unaffected by Keri's courage, grace and contagious smile. She is compassionate, brilliant and funny. She listens more than she talks but her voice is powerful and she always knows the right thing to say. It seems probable that she is a more evolved human being than the rest of us, and therefore makes us want to be better. Please help keep Keri's light burning as bright as it ever has by supporting her and her family and easing this incredibly difficult time for our dear friend. We have been brought to our knees by this news, but we have a wonderful, unified community that has collectively benefitted from having Keri in it. It's time to show her some of the sunshine she's shown us, even if you've only been lucky enough to catch just a ray.
We will always have hope for the best outcome. Thank you so much.
"If there's ever an answer.......it's more love."
Organizer and beneficiary
Sarah MacNeill
Organizer
Victoria, BC
Keri Coles
Beneficiary
