Help Maddy get through her cancer treatment

Our friend Maddy has just been diagnosed with throat cancer. She's had to stop working at her teaching job in Valencia mid December- she can't teach anymore right now because she can't use her voice because of the cancer.

I've asked her permission to set up this page, because she was too embarrassed to do it herself. She has nothing to be ashamed of- she needs our help. Collectively, we can help her.

She's just had to have some pre surgery treatment to prepare her mouth and jaw. She has to start daily radiography and chemotherapy treatment at the end of Jan/beginning of February this year (2025). The first course is 6 weeks. Recovery from that treatment will take at least 3 months, if it goes well. Longer if not.

Her throat is going to swell, she'll likely need to be fed through a feeding tube, and she's going to be exhausted and feel constantly sick.

She's currently on a Baja (Spanish social security benefits) and that covers about 75% of her usual take home salary. She's €500 a month short of being able to pay her basic living costs each month.

Because of the timing of her diagnosis and treatment, she's unlikely to be back at work until September at the earliest, all being well.

She got in touch with me to ask me for a reference so that she could find an online working from home job, where she doesn't need to speak, to do while she's being treated. So that she could keep paying her bills and work around her daily radiotherapy and chemo treatments. Let's face it, she's unlikely to have the strength to work, even if she does find this elusive remote non-speaking job.

I'll happily give her a reference, but I'd much rather see if I can raise as much money as I can between all of her friends. Because this treatment is going to be really awful, and she's going to feel like crap.

I wish I had a spare €3000 to give her, but I don't. But, together we might be able to come together to make this awful, stressful, shitty position a bit less shitty for her, and give her the time she needs to get treated and recover, without worrying about covering her basic living costs.

Every one of us deserves the dignity to get treatment and recover from something like cancer without worrying about how we're going to pay the bills. Maddy isn't in that position right now, and I really hope we can help relieve some of that pressure on her if we all pull together.

I've set the target at €3000 to give her a possible 6 months cover, and not have to worry about whether she needs to spend money or not, and not have to be watching every single penny going out, but any amount will help. Let's get that first 4 months of treatment and recovery covered together if we can. And together, WE CAN.

Can you spare €20, €50, €100 to help our friend Maddy? Please add to the pot if you can. All money raised is going to go directly to Maddy aka Madeleine.

Please share this go fund me page with anyone you know that knows, knew or worked with Maddy, and let's show her our support and how much she means to us all.