Help Rachel live the life she has left

This is Rachel’s story, told by her friend who has been blessed to be part of her journey for the past 9 years.

Rachel was 23 when she first got diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. She was a vision of determination and resilience. Instead of retreating back to Tasmania for friends and family to take care of her, Rachel opted to stay in Melbourne. She kept her room in her share house, took public transport alone to her chemo treatments, cycled 100km for kids with cancer in between her own treatment and hosted Biggest Morning Tea’s to raise funds for other people in situations like hers. In these early days of our friendship, when her partner Clancy finally shared how deeply he loved her (on the night of my own wedding), I said without hesitating “yeah duhh Clancy, how could you not”.

Rachel is the type of person people gravitate to… kind but still honest, empathetic but stands up for her beliefs… full of light and laughter. She brings people together, usually over tables of delicious food and wine (back when she could still drink it), mingling people with such varying dispositions because she is a person who accepts people for who they are. She is the family you would choose - an honorary aunt to our 4yo boy who we have to keep reminding why he has to be gentle with Auntie Rach.

In 2020, at 27 her second diagnosis came and largely crippled her life as we knew it. The combination of oral chemo, radiation, and hormone therapy at best left her depleted, and at worst had her hospitalised. Something you or I would sniffle from sent Rachel’s body into shock. Over the next few years her quality of life deteriorated. I didn’t realise the extent of it until we were on a trip to Hobart in 2022 when I witnessed this heartbreaking reality first hand. After several days of rain, the sun finally came out but Rachel couldn’t leave the house… her body just couldn’t get her there. What I’ve learned watching her journey is that Rachel’s hormone therapy has had an accumulative effect on her body, with the side effects significantly worsening over time. For the past 12 months the compromises she’s had to make have continued. A quiet meeting with friends gets scheduled for the morning because by evening she is too depleted, even then, it’s often hit and miss. A 15 minute slow stroll results in hours of bed rest. A trip to the park, just to watch my son play, is total immobility the next day. Sometimes Clancy will come home and find Rachel surviving on crackers because she can’t muster the strength to heat a pre-made meal.The light at the end of the tunnel was that if she made it to 5 years remission, her oncology team would consider backing off her treatment. Maybe she could take her eggs out of storage and have the family she dreamed of. Maybe she could finally finish her degree, or get the puppy she has been longing for, or marry the man she loves. Just maybe, she could have the life she had been fighting for.

This year, just 12 months from the golden 5 year remission mark, Rachel got diagnosed with cancer a third time. It was growing quickly and the cardiothoracic team planned to cut it all out and get that sucker gone once and for all!!! Once they got into surgery they found out that wasn’t going to be possible. Rachel’s incredible oncologist Geoff had to deliver the news that she likely can't win this battle against the the unrelenting cancer consuming her body. He believes it to be incurable.

Rachel’s oncology team has given her a prognosis of 5 years. This is an indeterminate time frame, and we hope she has longer, but with the progression into stage IV cancer, the prospects aren’t good. This 5 year prognosis is provided Rachel starts a new combination of chemo and hormone therapy (the impact of which has been crippling in the past). At 31 years old, when others her age are starting families, building careers, or planning their next milestones, Rachel is forced to decide how she can live the life she has left.

This news, to everyone who loves her, is crushing. The heaviness of the heartbreak can consume me in the moments I let it. Watching her suffer, many people ask me - how can I help?

Right now I can see she is making decisions based on finances and what I wish for her is some semblance of choice, when so many have been taken away from her. Rachel has been unable to work, unable to continue study, and is ineligible to receive any disability payments from the government. She pays out of pocket for medications, physio for rehabilitation, the interstate travel needed to get to her oncology team, and for the psychologist appointments she needs to help her through the momentous struggle of maintaining her mental health.

So this is my ask for my friend. Please help give Rachel the choice on how to spend the time she has left. Whether that is traveling overseas to see dear friends abroad, getting a dog, moving closer to friends and family, or marrying the man who loves her and nurses her, looks after their home, and works a full time job to support her through this illness, then let that be the light for her. She has given so much light to so many of us and I’m forever grateful to call her my friend.

Thank you for reading Rachel’s story and giving generously if you’re in a position to do so. We will leave this space open for the foreseeable future as a place where you can share your support, and we thank you so much for whatever that looks like for you.

Much love, Lucy x

Please note: This fundraiser has been set up with Rachel's knowledge and consent.