Help Tania McGarry's fight stage 4 Brain Cancer
Donation protected
Hi, I'm raising money for the beautiful Tania McGarry who is in for the fight of her life as she battles the second round of Stage 4 Glioblastoma (the worst case of) brain cancer.
I first met Tania in about 2017 when she first cared for one of my children at Simply Sunshine childcare centre in Moranbah, QLD. Tania is instantly someone who can turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary day with her infectious smile. She is one of the happiest, kindest humans that I know, and she is loved by all who have the pleasure of knowing her. Kids instantly gravitate towards Tania with her natural nurturing and motherly affection.
The money raised during this on going "go fund me" will go towards giving Tania some experiences during, and after, treatment to ensure her days are filled with laughter and joy. She has told me that she would love to take her partner Mick on a hotair balloon ride, so that's her first goal!! And being not far from the Hunter Valley, I'm sure this is a doing feat in the short term.
A little bit Tania has written about her journey thus far:
I met my beautiful man in 2015. We actually went to high school together and re connected after their school reunion. We moved to Moranbah (QLD Australia) for work and to be closer to my son in 2016. I started working at the best child care centre, Simply Sunshine, where I met such a beautiful and caring team. I made so many life long friends in Moranbah. Moving forward to 2019 I started having a lot of headaches which got worse as they went. One day at work, they were that bad I had severe vomiting as well and had to go home. I booked an appointment with my GP and instantly we had to drive the 2 hours to Mackay for an urgent MRI SCAN which unfortunately revealed the worst- a large brain tumour. Everything happened so fast. We then went to Mackay hospital for more scans & blood tests. I felt so sick I spent 4 days in Mackay before I flew with the Royal Flying Doctor Service to Townsville hospital for surgery.
During surgery, the surgeon cut out most of my tumour, although what was left was classed as inoperable and Stage 4 Glioblastoma( the worst kind of brain cancer). So from that moment I began 6 months of chemo including radiation. It was super scary to be told you have a terminal disease after leading a healthy life. It has been so hard to comprehend. We remained positive though and got stuck into treatment. During this process my beautiful little granddaughter, Alice, was born on my birthday in April. She became my healing light to get me through this nightmare.
After 6 months my scans showed no growth or swelling so yaaayyy good news finally!!!
August 2020 another follow up scan revealed a growth where my old tumour was plus a new one in a different area. By this stage we had decided to move to Newcastle for a healthier life. The medical support in Newcastle is amazing. I was booked into the John Hunter hospital for more surgery to cut the tumour out (again) on November 12. I knew I was in for the fight of my life but in hope that the operation could remove this horrible cruel disease. Surgery went well. I was pretty sick afterwards and I ended up with multiple blood clots in my legs and a massive haematoma in my belly.
I’m on a lot of medication at the moment including steroids which has caused a major weight gain. I’m emotional all the time and have lost strength in my left side, which I’ve been told won’t come back. I miss my independence and I’m so scared of dying- it’s on my mind 24/7. I’m trying to be strong and positive though. I will beat this, I have too much to live for.
My treatment will finish around May2021 but during and after my treatment I would love to make memories with the ones dearest to me. I'm not generally the type of person who asks for much in life, but if you can afford to contribute, I would really appreciate it.
With so much love x
Tania
I first met Tania in about 2017 when she first cared for one of my children at Simply Sunshine childcare centre in Moranbah, QLD. Tania is instantly someone who can turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary day with her infectious smile. She is one of the happiest, kindest humans that I know, and she is loved by all who have the pleasure of knowing her. Kids instantly gravitate towards Tania with her natural nurturing and motherly affection.
The money raised during this on going "go fund me" will go towards giving Tania some experiences during, and after, treatment to ensure her days are filled with laughter and joy. She has told me that she would love to take her partner Mick on a hotair balloon ride, so that's her first goal!! And being not far from the Hunter Valley, I'm sure this is a doing feat in the short term.
A little bit Tania has written about her journey thus far:
I met my beautiful man in 2015. We actually went to high school together and re connected after their school reunion. We moved to Moranbah (QLD Australia) for work and to be closer to my son in 2016. I started working at the best child care centre, Simply Sunshine, where I met such a beautiful and caring team. I made so many life long friends in Moranbah. Moving forward to 2019 I started having a lot of headaches which got worse as they went. One day at work, they were that bad I had severe vomiting as well and had to go home. I booked an appointment with my GP and instantly we had to drive the 2 hours to Mackay for an urgent MRI SCAN which unfortunately revealed the worst- a large brain tumour. Everything happened so fast. We then went to Mackay hospital for more scans & blood tests. I felt so sick I spent 4 days in Mackay before I flew with the Royal Flying Doctor Service to Townsville hospital for surgery.
During surgery, the surgeon cut out most of my tumour, although what was left was classed as inoperable and Stage 4 Glioblastoma( the worst kind of brain cancer). So from that moment I began 6 months of chemo including radiation. It was super scary to be told you have a terminal disease after leading a healthy life. It has been so hard to comprehend. We remained positive though and got stuck into treatment. During this process my beautiful little granddaughter, Alice, was born on my birthday in April. She became my healing light to get me through this nightmare.
After 6 months my scans showed no growth or swelling so yaaayyy good news finally!!!
August 2020 another follow up scan revealed a growth where my old tumour was plus a new one in a different area. By this stage we had decided to move to Newcastle for a healthier life. The medical support in Newcastle is amazing. I was booked into the John Hunter hospital for more surgery to cut the tumour out (again) on November 12. I knew I was in for the fight of my life but in hope that the operation could remove this horrible cruel disease. Surgery went well. I was pretty sick afterwards and I ended up with multiple blood clots in my legs and a massive haematoma in my belly.
I’m on a lot of medication at the moment including steroids which has caused a major weight gain. I’m emotional all the time and have lost strength in my left side, which I’ve been told won’t come back. I miss my independence and I’m so scared of dying- it’s on my mind 24/7. I’m trying to be strong and positive though. I will beat this, I have too much to live for.
My treatment will finish around May2021 but during and after my treatment I would love to make memories with the ones dearest to me. I'm not generally the type of person who asks for much in life, but if you can afford to contribute, I would really appreciate it.
With so much love x
Tania
Organizer
Tessa Gunn
Organizer
Lenaghan, NSW