Help us raise funds for Adrenal Cortical Cancer
Donation protected
Let’s help the The University of Sydney Endocrine surgery unit continue their amazing work in research and treatment of Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma! The cause bears enormous significance to our family after the diagnosis of our Celeste!!
Our goal is to raise $20k in the coming months to coincide with the annual walk to the summit of Mt Kosciuszko which our family will be participating in. All funds raised will go straight to the team in Sydney devoting their time to Adrenal Cancer.
I can say with confidence when speaking on behalf of our entire family that pride takes a front seat and the idea of asking others for help is a very difficult thing to do. Putting pride aside, what we are trying to achieve with this fundraiser goes beyond the family to reach the many in our society affected by cancer.
For those suffering from a rare form such as Adrenal, our goal is to ultimately raise awareness and as much funding as we can to go towards research. Unfortunately for those affected there’s not a lot of answers, so to be faced with the unknown is an indescribable thing to have to deal with day to day.
The battle is real for Celeste and there’s a long road ahead so please read her story in her own words.
“My name is Celeste, a 36-year-old wife, sister, friend and mother of 2 beautiful girls aged 9 and 6.
Like most mums, your family is your life and to hear the dreaded sentence “you have cancer” is life changing. You automatically think your time is up and your babies are going to grow up without you.
Sitting with the Oncologist while he explained what Adrenal Cortical Cancer was, saying that my PET scan also showed nodules on my lungs which made them feel “uncomfortable” and that the team of doctors would prefer if my lungs were clear, the outcome wasn’t looking good and there were not a lot of treatment options etc...
I remember that all I heard was dull noise, the room started spinning as I felt like passing out and then in rushed the nurses to help me out.
There are no words to explain the roller coaster of emotions you go through in the coming days, weeks and months. Shock, anger and sadness are the biggest emotions which I feel consume me 24/7.
In the previous 12 months I had lost both of my parents (within 6 months of each other) and all I kept thinking was that soon I would be joining them.
There is no cure. Did you know only one in every million people will be diagnosed with Adrenal Cortical Cancer this year? That’s roughly 25 people in Australia, and while most cancers have several treatment options, we have ONE!
One oral chemotherapy drug that most can’t tolerate. I’m currently on 14 of these pills a day, along with all the rest. On average, only 10% of us will live past 5 years. We are desperate for more options but our pleas are landing on deaf ears.
Better treatments are needed for people with rare cancers, which collectively cause more cancer deaths in Australia than any single cancer type.
Please help my family and I raise much needed awareness and funds for research as we tackle the hike up Mount Kosciuszko.”
Our goal is to raise $20k in the coming months to coincide with the annual walk to the summit of Mt Kosciuszko which our family will be participating in. All funds raised will go straight to the team in Sydney devoting their time to Adrenal Cancer.
I can say with confidence when speaking on behalf of our entire family that pride takes a front seat and the idea of asking others for help is a very difficult thing to do. Putting pride aside, what we are trying to achieve with this fundraiser goes beyond the family to reach the many in our society affected by cancer.
For those suffering from a rare form such as Adrenal, our goal is to ultimately raise awareness and as much funding as we can to go towards research. Unfortunately for those affected there’s not a lot of answers, so to be faced with the unknown is an indescribable thing to have to deal with day to day.
The battle is real for Celeste and there’s a long road ahead so please read her story in her own words.
“My name is Celeste, a 36-year-old wife, sister, friend and mother of 2 beautiful girls aged 9 and 6.
Like most mums, your family is your life and to hear the dreaded sentence “you have cancer” is life changing. You automatically think your time is up and your babies are going to grow up without you.
Sitting with the Oncologist while he explained what Adrenal Cortical Cancer was, saying that my PET scan also showed nodules on my lungs which made them feel “uncomfortable” and that the team of doctors would prefer if my lungs were clear, the outcome wasn’t looking good and there were not a lot of treatment options etc...
I remember that all I heard was dull noise, the room started spinning as I felt like passing out and then in rushed the nurses to help me out.
There are no words to explain the roller coaster of emotions you go through in the coming days, weeks and months. Shock, anger and sadness are the biggest emotions which I feel consume me 24/7.
In the previous 12 months I had lost both of my parents (within 6 months of each other) and all I kept thinking was that soon I would be joining them.
There is no cure. Did you know only one in every million people will be diagnosed with Adrenal Cortical Cancer this year? That’s roughly 25 people in Australia, and while most cancers have several treatment options, we have ONE!
One oral chemotherapy drug that most can’t tolerate. I’m currently on 14 of these pills a day, along with all the rest. On average, only 10% of us will live past 5 years. We are desperate for more options but our pleas are landing on deaf ears.
Better treatments are needed for people with rare cancers, which collectively cause more cancer deaths in Australia than any single cancer type.
Please help my family and I raise much needed awareness and funds for research as we tackle the hike up Mount Kosciuszko.”
Fundraising team (3)
Vanessa Modola
Organizer
Truganina VIC
Celeste Ryan
Team member
Tony Modola
Team member