Help Maddy KICK & FLIP Cancer for good.

We are calling on all our friends and our communities to help Maddy, Kevin & Co Kick and Flip Cancer’s Butt. Donate and take a photo of your kick or flip and share it with #KickAndFlipCancer to help beat the battle with cancer.

 

Maddy has been unwell for 6+ years. After a long 3-year search for a diagnosis, it was finally confirmed that she has a rare type of brain-pituitary/blood cancer. We quickly discovered that the struggle to find a diagnosis was only the beginning, and things have only gotten harder since then.  The impact this continues to have on our lives is immeasurable.

How long is a piece of string? 14 months of treatment, for a few months of freedom.

 

With any type of cancer, it’s important to listen to your specialist team. We learned very quickly that Cancer not only affects the person living with it but also everyone they love including, family, friends, work colleagues, the community, and her loving partner (Kevin) – and boy, did we feel it!

 

Under the recommendation of the specialists, Maddy underwent 14 months of intense chemotherapy with the hope of complete eradication of the cancer. It was a tough and challenging journey for everyone involved.  



There were many tears and hard days. There were days of vomiting (Maddy even managed to vomit in her own mask during treatment), nights of wanting to give up, and the loss of appetite where popcorn was the only food Maddy would eat. Actually, now that I think of it, most of the time during treatment, it was just horrible.

Fortunately, the 14 months of treatment was worth it. Maddy went into remission (reduced cancer cells), which kept the cancer at bay for a few months. She finally got to enjoy sleeping on her side, having a shower without having to wrap the intravenous tube/line in her arm in glad wrap, and enjoying a dip in the cold southerly ocean.

 

However, freedom didn’t last and during our recent regular check-up, we were notified that the cancer returned (relapsed). You can only imagine how devastated we felt – 14 months of pain, for only a few months of freedom.

Finding a treatment that works is the biggest challenge when the cancer you’re living with is rare (1-2 cases in a million…and when there is 25.69 million people in Australia in 2020, that equals to 26 people) ... now, that’s rare!

 

How cancer changes the person - Maddy’s happy nature is infectious to us all.

 

We all know Maddy for her smiley happy nature, and that she is tough as nails – she’s a person that exudes positiveness and brings joy to everyone she meets. But when living with cancer, the journey is not always rainbows and butterflies. It would be an understatement to say that cancer has/takes a massive toll on your physical, mental, social, and financial health.

Maddy has battled depression, chronic pain, traumatic emergency admissions, high-dose steroids, and intense chemotherapy. Her body has changed from a fit, competitive, and healthy taekwondo athlete, to a larger body size that she is not comfortable in. From a person who was able to run, kick and swim for hours on end, to someone who struggles to walk 200 meters without getting puffed out. From a person who could work for long hours, to someone who must manage their time with rest and gets tired very easily. Finding alternative ways has been the only way to manage.

The long-term impact of Cancer

 

Now Maddy is in line for more treatment, we are not sure what that entails yet. It’s scary to think about what’s next and hard to imagine the future, let alone a future that is fruitful. The only thing we are certain about is the massive toll that awaits on everyone's shoulders –
the battle of cancer isn’t over, and the physical, mental, social, and financial effects is frightening and anxiety-producing.

 

What we’ve learned is that when living with cancer, despite being manageable, it's a costly adventure just to live and survive. It's a financial toll to pay for medication, specialist appointments, IVF, living expenses with reduced incomes, and lack of opportunity to work at a full-time capacity for both of us. 


Help us thrive – you can help Maddy KICK & FLIP Cancer’s Butt

 

The funds raised will go towards Maddy & Kevin's medical and living expenses. This includes specialist appointments, surgery, cancer treatment, IVF treatment, daily medication, regular checks ups, and our living expenses such as rent and utility bills.

 

The extra help would allow us to concentrate our health and hopefully beat cancer so we can continue to love each other and help the community as we were trained to do.  

Every donation helps take the financial pressure away. You can make difference in our lives.