Help support Helen's dying wishes

Dear family and friends. I feel it is time now to make a very difficult announcement which I have been putting off. I have cancer once again, but this time, the doctors have termed it as ‘terminal’. As some of you may know, I have been suffering from a chronic cough for the last 12 months. After many [many] doctor appointments and hospital visits, I was told that nothing could be done about the cough, or that it was “perhaps unknowingly put on”, or even “anxiety”. Visits to the emergency department at hospitals only resulted in a waste of time, and a quick evaluation concluding that an E.N.T specialist would not be necessary as there would be nothing for him/her to find. Despite this, I pushed and had myself placed on the waiting list to see an E.N.T as I thought this was my best chance, only to find out this waiting list was 1-2 years long. After feeling like I was not taken seriously or treated professionally within the public health system, I considered seeing a private E.N.T but unfortunately did not have the money. This would be my biggest regret. Another week or two passed and I noticed a growing lump on the back of my head. It was cancer. All of a sudden I was taken seriously and they were signing me up for CT scans, ultrasounds, x-rays, blood tests and [more] doctor appointments! As it turns out, the cough was part of a much bigger issue than anxiety and was a symptom of cancer in the neck, accompanying tumours found down my spine, head, lungs, breasts, and lymph nodes. It scares me to know that, had this lump not appeared, I would have died while waiting for an E.N.T appointment! Now, with the news that I have 6-18 months to live, I am trying to shift my mindset towards enjoying the life I have left. Am I upset with the public system for dismissing me so many times, despite my persistence? Absolutely. But, if anything, I would like something good to come from this. I want to raise awareness to the fact that the public system is not perfect and it definitely isn’t the final say to your health! You should listen to your body and if you feel that something is wrong, even after being told otherwise from your GP or public health servant, you don’t have to accept that and I would URGE you to seek a second opinion! What is next for me? As I said, I aim to make the remainder of my time here as fulfilling as possible. I have a bucket list with things I will be working through ranging from life-long dreams like playing in the snow, to simple things such as paying for a stranger’s groceries. With my family’s persistent convincing, they setup this GoFundMe page which they hope will “help me achieve these goals” (although, I think I can do a lot of this without it!). I feel uncomfortable, personally, but I wanted to let people know about my story, to raise awareness and maybe even prevent someone else finding out their bad news too late, and lastly, to be heard!! This is for my family/friends to be able to communicate on behalf of myself about my health. Please bare with me/us as we try to keep everyone updated. ........................................................................................................................................................................................  Bucket List Done 1. Would like to pay for someone’s groceries Done  2. Play in snow Done  3. To get a selfie with Boy George             4. To hand glide on behalf of my brother Done. 5. Whale Watching             6. Stand Up Paddle Boarding (doing)7. To complete Family Ancestry Done   8. Visit Dubbo Zoo to see the animals  Done   9. See Uluru (Ayres Rock) Done  10. Swim with Dolphins  Done  11. Swim with Sharks             12. Drag/ race a car against someone hehe Done  13. To ride a quad bike            14. To assist an Archaeologist in finding ancient artifacts 15. To find a gold nugget hehe             16. To see a UFO hehe Done  17. Photo shoot (before I loose my hair) Done   18. Abseiling off cliff Done  19. Meet the Broncos Done  20. To see an Airforce Aircraft, Sat in a F1-11 and will be sitting in a Hornet Done  21.  Horse Riding Done  22. Cuddling a Koala Soon  23. Hot Air Ballooning             24. Be in a Tv Studio Audience             25. Go on a Cruise             26. Throw a themed Party             27. Take a mud bath             28. Name a Star Done   29. Photobomb someone             30. Invent something             31. Send a message in a bottle             32. Help the homeless             33. Ride a Segway             34. See a live Volcano