Help my son Neil battle stage 4 melanoma
Donation protected
My name is Jacqueline, I am Neil’s mother, and I am asking for your support on his behalf.
In March 2017 our worst nightmare came true when Neil, the youngest of my three children, was at his job on a gold mine in Western Australia. After suffering a seizure, The Royal Flying Doctors Service flew him off site to Kalgoorlie hospital, where a scan revealed a brain tumour. He was then flown home to Perth where the tumour was removed.
We were given the devastating news that Neil had stage 4 melanoma. The bottom fell out of our world. Neil was 29 years old.
Neil commenced oral targeted therapy medications, as well as steroids, and was able to return to work only intermittently, due to the side effects from the medications, which frequently caused him great distress. He ran out of sick leave, annual leave and savings. With my support and that of his siblings, we were able to struggle through.
Then in November 2018 we were devastated to learn that previously clear scans now revealed three tumours, one each on his bowel, liver and again on his brain. The brain tumour is situated in the area which controls his vision, and may require radiotherapy as additional treatment to immunotherapy in the future. In late November Neil commenced a regimen of double immunotherapy infusion treatments, for which he will have to attend the hospital frequently. The possible side effects of the drugs are numerous, and possibly life threatening. A new and more terrifying journey has begun for us.
Neil has been given a 60% chance of surviving the next twelve months.
Who is Neil?
The proverbial “gentle giant”, Neil is over 6 feet tall with a glorious red beard. When his surgeon first met him, he said Neil looked like a Viking! Born in Ireland and brought to Australia at seven months old, he for sure has Viking blood in his veins. He is a person who impacts on everyone who meets him. He is a kind, caring and generous soul with an amazing sense of humour. Despite his pain, he tries to stay upbeat, (he mostly manages this) and still makes us all laugh and momentarily forget what he is going through. His older siblings, Jennifer and Evan, and their partners, love him very much. He has two nephews who he adores; two and a half year old Nate (his Godson), and four month old Jude.
Neil worked hard and loved his job. He enjoyed socialising with his mates, travelling, camping, and did the occasional spot of fishing. A prolific reader, he always has a book in his hands. He now spends some of his time socialising with friends through online gaming which doesn’t take much energy. He tires frequently, and so is mostly confined to home now. He loves to cook, and when he can, he has us all round to his place for dinner!
Because of the brain tumour, Neil is subject to seizures, and so is legally prohibited from driving.
Why we are seeking your help
Neil is now 30 years old and will soon need to vacate his current house because he is unable to work for the foreseeable future and so can no longer meet his rent. He does not have a partner, and so it falls to me as his mother to provide a stress free environment to live in, so he can focus on his healing and recovery. A friend suggested I start a GoFundMe campaign. I thought “but there are many people struggling in the world, why should I ask for help”? Well… here I am, asking for help, for my son.
I am there for Neil and so I am not able to work at a “regular” job. I started work as an Uber driver which allows me to work flexible hours. Unfortunately I suffer lower back pain plus osteo arthritis in my right hip, (old woman aches and pains!), and so am not able to work enough hours to fully support us both.
Losing my home – Now I’m overwhelmed
My daughter purchased the house I live in some years ago while she was still single. She and her husband subsequently bought their own family home for themselves and their children, and I moved into her house. Now they are no longer able to subsidise costs for my house, so it must be sold. This is a hard hit for all of us, but Jennifer and her husband hung in there for as long as they could, longer than they should have really, but the financial strain is now too much.
We have accrued over $20,000 in debt, which is increasing by the day! None of us have any savings left. And now I need to find a new home for both of us. I literally cannot afford the packing boxes to move house!
Where the donations will be spent
While I plan to continue Uber driving to cover costs of personal items such as clothing, as well as food, fuel etc., (I live cheaply), I’m hopeful that the donations will cover most of the other costs, including our two house moves, storage for an indeterminate amount of time for Neil’s house contents, utility bills, extra medications, car expenses (registration/insurance), etc. so that I can take Neil to hospital appointments. Also, repaying the outstanding debts accrued since Neil was diagnosed in 2017, which I have no ability to do any time soon. In addition to clearing those debts your kind donation would help to pay rent payments to guarantee a roof over our heads for the next year.
If successful, we can step forward with no financial stressors, which would be a dream come true, and allow us to just focus on supporting Neil on the difficult road ahead.
Our family’s vision for Neil is that he makes a complete and full recovery, for he has many wonderful dreams that he needs to make come true and family who love him dearly.
I would like to thank each and every one of you in advance for your kind donation, whether big or small. Every single cent is a blessing. I will provide updates regularly on where Neil is at on his journey, and, should your faith support it, ask you to pray for Neil and the many others courageously battling cancer.
Finally, I would like to ask that you kindly share the page so that we can reach as many people as possible with our message. Thank you for listening to my story.
In loving gratitude
Jacqueline and family
In March 2017 our worst nightmare came true when Neil, the youngest of my three children, was at his job on a gold mine in Western Australia. After suffering a seizure, The Royal Flying Doctors Service flew him off site to Kalgoorlie hospital, where a scan revealed a brain tumour. He was then flown home to Perth where the tumour was removed.
We were given the devastating news that Neil had stage 4 melanoma. The bottom fell out of our world. Neil was 29 years old.
Neil commenced oral targeted therapy medications, as well as steroids, and was able to return to work only intermittently, due to the side effects from the medications, which frequently caused him great distress. He ran out of sick leave, annual leave and savings. With my support and that of his siblings, we were able to struggle through.
Then in November 2018 we were devastated to learn that previously clear scans now revealed three tumours, one each on his bowel, liver and again on his brain. The brain tumour is situated in the area which controls his vision, and may require radiotherapy as additional treatment to immunotherapy in the future. In late November Neil commenced a regimen of double immunotherapy infusion treatments, for which he will have to attend the hospital frequently. The possible side effects of the drugs are numerous, and possibly life threatening. A new and more terrifying journey has begun for us.
Neil has been given a 60% chance of surviving the next twelve months.
Who is Neil?
The proverbial “gentle giant”, Neil is over 6 feet tall with a glorious red beard. When his surgeon first met him, he said Neil looked like a Viking! Born in Ireland and brought to Australia at seven months old, he for sure has Viking blood in his veins. He is a person who impacts on everyone who meets him. He is a kind, caring and generous soul with an amazing sense of humour. Despite his pain, he tries to stay upbeat, (he mostly manages this) and still makes us all laugh and momentarily forget what he is going through. His older siblings, Jennifer and Evan, and their partners, love him very much. He has two nephews who he adores; two and a half year old Nate (his Godson), and four month old Jude.
Neil worked hard and loved his job. He enjoyed socialising with his mates, travelling, camping, and did the occasional spot of fishing. A prolific reader, he always has a book in his hands. He now spends some of his time socialising with friends through online gaming which doesn’t take much energy. He tires frequently, and so is mostly confined to home now. He loves to cook, and when he can, he has us all round to his place for dinner!
Because of the brain tumour, Neil is subject to seizures, and so is legally prohibited from driving.
Why we are seeking your help
Neil is now 30 years old and will soon need to vacate his current house because he is unable to work for the foreseeable future and so can no longer meet his rent. He does not have a partner, and so it falls to me as his mother to provide a stress free environment to live in, so he can focus on his healing and recovery. A friend suggested I start a GoFundMe campaign. I thought “but there are many people struggling in the world, why should I ask for help”? Well… here I am, asking for help, for my son.
I am there for Neil and so I am not able to work at a “regular” job. I started work as an Uber driver which allows me to work flexible hours. Unfortunately I suffer lower back pain plus osteo arthritis in my right hip, (old woman aches and pains!), and so am not able to work enough hours to fully support us both.
Losing my home – Now I’m overwhelmed
My daughter purchased the house I live in some years ago while she was still single. She and her husband subsequently bought their own family home for themselves and their children, and I moved into her house. Now they are no longer able to subsidise costs for my house, so it must be sold. This is a hard hit for all of us, but Jennifer and her husband hung in there for as long as they could, longer than they should have really, but the financial strain is now too much.
We have accrued over $20,000 in debt, which is increasing by the day! None of us have any savings left. And now I need to find a new home for both of us. I literally cannot afford the packing boxes to move house!
Where the donations will be spent
While I plan to continue Uber driving to cover costs of personal items such as clothing, as well as food, fuel etc., (I live cheaply), I’m hopeful that the donations will cover most of the other costs, including our two house moves, storage for an indeterminate amount of time for Neil’s house contents, utility bills, extra medications, car expenses (registration/insurance), etc. so that I can take Neil to hospital appointments. Also, repaying the outstanding debts accrued since Neil was diagnosed in 2017, which I have no ability to do any time soon. In addition to clearing those debts your kind donation would help to pay rent payments to guarantee a roof over our heads for the next year.
If successful, we can step forward with no financial stressors, which would be a dream come true, and allow us to just focus on supporting Neil on the difficult road ahead.
Our family’s vision for Neil is that he makes a complete and full recovery, for he has many wonderful dreams that he needs to make come true and family who love him dearly.
I would like to thank each and every one of you in advance for your kind donation, whether big or small. Every single cent is a blessing. I will provide updates regularly on where Neil is at on his journey, and, should your faith support it, ask you to pray for Neil and the many others courageously battling cancer.
Finally, I would like to ask that you kindly share the page so that we can reach as many people as possible with our message. Thank you for listening to my story.
In loving gratitude
Jacqueline and family
Organizer
Jacqueline Browne
Organizer
Bibra Lake WA
