Hi everyone,

I never imagined needing to write something like this, but our family is currently facing an incredibly difficult and overwhelming time.

On the 26th of November, my sister sought help after months of suffering from blurry vision, extreme headaches and migraines.

During a routine eye exam, doctors discovered severe swelling on her brain and bilateral swelling of her optic nerves. She was immediately referred to Townsville University Hospital for urgent specialist care.

After extensive testing and scans, on the 12th of December, tragically on my nephew’s 5th birthday, she was diagnosed with a tumour behind her eye and benign intracranial hypertension (fluid on the brain). Her condition rapidly worsened, and she was admitted to hospital.

She requires an emergency guided lumbar puncture, high-dose steroids, and will potentially undergo surgery to have a shunt placed in her brain. At this stage, we don’t know how long her recovery will take as she is still rapidly worsening.

Our mum and stepfather live in Goulburn, NSW, and have travelled by car taking their caravan to Townsville, QLD. So they can be by her side during this frightening and uncertain time. Being there for her is so important to our family as she has three young children at home, but the costs of long-distance travel, fuel, caravan expenses, food, and extended time away from home are significant.

We are asking for any support you may be able to give. Whether it’s a donation, sharing this page, or keeping our family in your thoughts.

Every contribution, no matter how small, will help ease the financial burden and allow our parents to focus on what matters most: supporting their daughter through this fight.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness, love, and support during this incredibly challenging time.

With gratitude,

Tamara Gibbons