Building Dad's Dream In The Fight Against Cancer

Growing up in a family with seven children was just as you picture it. Chaos. Beautiful, crazy and we wouldn't change a thing chaos. People thought our parents were crazy but they thought it was perfect! Our Mum, Sonia stayed at home to raise us kids and to tackle the giant pile of ever-growing laundry and dishes. Our Dad, Michael worked tirelessly as a forklift operator, leaving home in the dark and getting home in the dark. He did this on repeat, day in and day out, to pay for the clothes on our backs and the food on our table. Dad never complained, instead he always had a smile on his face and was ready to crack a joke to brighten your day. Dad was always there to help us in any way that he could. He would always put others before himself, even if that meant that he would miss out. Every dollar that he earnt was put back into our family, raising seven kids and paying for our home. Once we were all grown up, Dad finally decided to do something for himself. He saved up some money and bought an old Holden HQ that he could proudly restore back to its former glory. Dad had planned on working on the car slowly over the years then would join a car club to show off his hard work. But life had different plans.... In April of 2016, Dad had his first seizure, which resulted in the heartbreaking diagnosis of his brain cancer - Oligodendroglioma Stage 3, a form of terminal brain cancer. After Dad's second surgery in January of this year testing showed that the cancer had progressed to a Glioblastoma (GBM) Stage 4, which is the most aggressive form of brain cancer that currently has no cure. ….Writing this next part was hard. Please forgive me if I don't give a lot of detail. It is all in my head, and tough to write down on a page.... To say that we were all devastated is a total understatement. Our world had been torn apart. Dad's world had been torn apart. Nothing has been the same since getting that diagnosis. I don't think you can truly understand the pain of a terminal illness until you or someone you love has been affected by it. Since Dad's diagnosis in 2016,  the cancer has become more aggressive. Dad truly is a fighter though and has undergone radiation, several types of chemotherapy and two brain surgeries. He is due to go back for his third surgery this week (Thursday the 12th of September). But chemotherapy really is its own form of torture. Between the constant nausea, tiredness and loss of appetite, Dad has also suffered with severe anxiety of attending his hospital and chemotherapy appointments to the point where he requires medication to help him feel calmer (which does not always help). They say that when cancer patients have treatment for so long they begin to associate different things with the chemotherapy. For Dad that was the smell of the clinic, the sound of the machines and the hospital sandwiches. Each of those things only made Dad feel worse and caused him to hate it even more. On the 5th of August Dad was taken off his chemotherapy as the doctor told him it was no longer working. After Dad has recovered from his third surgery this week they will look into beginning another chemotherapy which will hopefully work to fight the cancer. While Dad has been going through all of this, our Mum has been Dad's rock. Without fail, she sits by his side through every appointment, chemotherapy or sleepless night. Mum sees the pain and the hurt in Dad's eyes and it absolutely breaks her heart knowing that she cannot make it better. Seeing Dad go through this is gut wrenching and knowing that there is nothing we can do is even worse. Our Dad has lived his whole life being selfless and giving every part of himself to help others. This was supposed to be his time to do something special that he loves. But since the diagnosis, Dad is afraid that he won't get the chance and will never get to see his car restored back to its former glory. Restoring a car is expensive and with Dad no longer working due to the cancer, sadly his dream seems out of reach.  It would mean the world for Dad to fulfil his dream of restoring his car. If you are able to help in any way we would be so thankful.  Please feel free to share your positive vibes and well wishes! Dad would love to hear them all!  Building Dad's Dream xx