Out of pocket expenses for cancer treatment

My name is Angela and I was diagnosed with breast cancer on January 29 2025.

It turns out that my rural city doesn't have cancer treatment facilities. I have to travel for an MRI, for surgery and for Radiotherapy. The MRI and surgery are 600 km away. Petrol is approximately $100 per trip and I have to travel twice. February 20-21 and March 4-6. I have to pay for accommodation because it's too far to go for just a day. Catching the bus is still $80 return, plus accommodation because the bus only travels once a day.

Radiotherapy is 3 whole weeks, Monday through Friday, 210 km away. I have to stay by myself, caring for myself in hospital accommodation that still costs $40 a night. 1 week totals $280 per person and I have to stay 3 weeks. I'm trying to find charities to help but so far they all direct me to PATS, who want invoices that I can't produce. Even then I still have to pay up front and hope PATS will reimburse some.

I don't have the up front costs. I have my hotel for my MRI covered (February 20). Donations thus far means that I also have petrol money for that trip. Thanks to donations thus far I can also afford travel March 4-6 for surgery and my accommodation is covered by a friend, (saving me $313), which is why I've reduced my total goal.

If you're wondering why my total is 4,500, it's primarily because of radiotherapy. I need to take a carer, because I dont know how sick I will be. That doubles accommodation costs and groceries costs for 3 weeks.

Meanwhile my son has to stay at our home, with my friend and I still need groceries for them aswell. Ideally I'd like to cover her petrol too ($200 because she has to come twice).

Usually I would work and save. But it's Term 1. There's rarely any work for relief teachers in Term 1.

So normally I would get a loan and work hard to pay it back as soon as relief jobs are flowing in again, but I don't know how sick radiotherapy is going to make me or for how long I might be too sick to work.

I also don't know yet if I need chemotherapy. They tell me I will need one or the other, likely not both, (but they haven't ruled out both); they won't know until after the MRI (February 20) and surgery (March 5).

Chemotherapy will absolutely make me too sick to work.

If anybody requires more proof of costs I will try to provide it. So far I have uploaded all the proof I have. They wouldn't let me keep my breast surgeon notes. The photo with the bruising is from my core biopsy. I have invasive ductural carcinoma. The biopsy notes say grade 1 but the breat surgeon notes say grade 2. They say they won't know for certain until after the MRI (to check for spreading) and surgery (to remove the carcinoma and check the lymph nodes). March 19 I will know more.

Any help anyone can provide will be received with more gratitude than I can ever express. By far, the biggest burden this journey is creating is financial. Lack of finance is causing literally 95% of my stress, because there are no services where I live, despite it supposedly being considered a second city.

My family are in Melbourne and I've only lived here a year and 3 months. I'm virtually alone with very limited friends (3) who are able to help with appointments, transport, looking after my cats while I'm away and just in general, keeping my spirits up.

Thankyou for reading my story.