Help Lisa beat stage four cancer

We are appealing for help to support my sister Lisa and her family with the financial burden of terminal cancer.

Lisa was diagnosed with stage 3b breast cancer in 2017, she immediately started six months of chemotherapy and targeted therapy followed by surgery and radiotherapy. In 2018 Lisa's scans showed no evidence of disease.

In December this year Lisa was looking forward to celebrating five years cancer free and was planning a fund raising journey of her own, but it wasn't to be, in July 2022 Lisa was found to have tumors in her right lung, shoulder, neck, ribs, pelvis, spine, and leg. She was diagnosed with stage four incurable cancer, we are still waiting to confirm the exact type of cancer, whether reoccurrence of breast cancer or a new type of lung cancer. Sadly the lung biopsy failed, and Lisa has had a long wait for a bone biopsy and is currently waiting for the results.

Trying to tell her children that their mummy had cancer again was the hardest thing Lisa has ever had to do. They were only four and six the first time around, and both of them have been left with a fear of hearing their mum being sick for fear the cancer was back. After years of reassuring them, that mummy would be ok, telling her two young girls that she was ill again was heartbreaking and Lisa felt like she had let them down. They are now ten and twelve and understand so much more. We would like to provide them with counseling and as much help as possible. Despite being told her cancer is too far advanced to be cured Lisa is refusing to give up hope.

"I will do whatever it takes to see my girls grow up, I'm not leaving them," says Lisa, who is currently exploring every avenue possible.

We would like to eventually raise money for any pioneering treatment that may be available to her, but as her cancer is still under investigation, this initial target is in the hope of raising funds to ease the financial worry that cancer brings. Lisa, her two children, partner Gavin and two cats, Peggy and Betty have only been in their new house for a year and without Lisa's income they are in a desperate situation.

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Lisa has recently had a setback and was hospitalised on Sept 27th with a chest infection leading to considerable pain in her lower back from coughing. It was found the tumor on her L5 vertebrae is in a dangerous position causing Lisa great pain and leg weakness. Thankfully she will be starting radiotherapy on this site very soon. She was discharged on Oct 1st but sadly she has returned home unable to walk, or even sit up. She is now in need of personal assistance, currently being provided by her partner and our mum. We do not know if she will fully recover her mobility and it has meant she is unable to work for the present time, an especially sad situation as Lisa works as a carer for two adults with learning disabilities, who miss her and came to see her in hospital.

Unfortunately, without Lisa’s wage, The family is unable to cover all the household costs, not to mention all the new costs cancer brings. Lisa does not receive any enhanced sick pay which is leaving the family in financial difficulty, this is the last thing the family should have to worry about. We know times are hard for everyone right now but if you can afford to donate towards the costs of Lisa's living and the extra expenses cancer brings and also towards her search for the best treatments we would be hugely grateful. If not please consider sharing and help my beautiful sister fight this evil disease.

Your donation will go towards meeting these immediate problems such as the mortgage, bills, possible home adjustments such as a wheelchair, mobility scooter ect and transport costs to the various hospitals, as neither Lisa nor Gavin drive these are quite considerable.

Finally, My sister is an extraordinary woman, a rare and talented bright ray of light. She had a wonderful career as a theatrical make-up artist, meeting Gavin when he played the prince in Swan Lake. She since went on open her own felting business - Felt Pixie, and win awards for her hand crafted minature dogs! She then became a carer, all the while battling cancer.

She loves and she is loved and her bravery and courage in the face of such terrible circumstances has been my inspiration. We shared our happy childhood together and it is this that she wishes so much to give to her own children.