Katie and her Kin "Healing on Heaven Hill”

G’day my name is Katie and I have created a gofundme fundraiser in support of myself and my three daughters, particularly my two young dependents (aged 7 & 8 currently).

I am a single and solo independent mother with disability who is busy raising two energetic loving daughters (aged 7 & 8). They are my world, as I am theirs.

Last year the Federal Government axed the NRAS (national rental affordability scheme) and subsequently we were affected in having to vacate our home of 2 years in Townsville, Qld. We inspected and I applied for 25+ properties in and around Townsville with no success, mainly due to having pets and not being able to meet the 30% of income rental affordability criteria.

It was during the last 6-8 weeks of our tenancy that I discovered a small lump on the underside of my upper arm which I self-referred for a spot check at my local Skin Cancer Clinic where I’d had my regular 2 yearly mole checks.

My specialist Doctor suspected a SCC (squamous cell carcinoma) and i booked in to have it surgically excised asap due to its rapid growth.

During this time I was packing & moving my families belongings into a storage unit as we were facing homelessness. We were placed on the FEAT (Family Emergency Accommodation Townsville) waitlist & gained support from the St Vincent Welfare Community Helpline who provided much needed relief in fuel voucher and grocery voucher.

Meanwhile as tired & chronically fatigued as I was, I packed and continued applying for homes; even while I had to have day surgery to excise this possible skin cancer and await two weeks to have the stitches removed.

A good friend kindly took me and my children and pets into her home and temporarily house us for the time from 6 June to 10 June as we needed help to move things into storage as well as a place to stay until I had my stitches removed and had my pathology report.

By this time I had decided to move to the South Burnett region of Queensland to be closer to family, friends & medical services for my family and our future. I also believed we would be housed in a semi-rural or rural area where my dream of having free range chickens and land based learning by growing our own fruit trees and herbs and vegetables could be realised. I had come from a love of growing up in the country on pineapple and dairy farms, and chores and looking after animals was daily. I wanted my children to know this too.

Long story short the day before we drove out of Townsville, I found out I have a lymphoma. I was referred to Brisbane and Toowoomba haematology specialists and once settled on friends property in Kingaroy, temporarily residing in a hired caravan with hired Portaloo, I found a wonderful Kingaroy GP after much difficulty in many medical centres not taking new patients (even with extenuating circumstances such as mine).

After being homeless (and temporarily housed for a month) I have managed to secure my dream home and property with wonderful landlords. My daughters have named our home “Heaven Hill”.

Unfortunately we have not been able to move our storage unit full of belongings to our home as I am currently in hospital. And I don’t have the money to be able to pay for such an expense.

However this fundraiser is to help with and pay for the below costs:

1. Storage Unit costs

2. Hire of Removalists to pack & load my storage unit belongings in Townsville and transport/move to my storage unit in Kingaroy.

3. Costs of our 2 pet cats (currently in Cats Only indoor boarding facility) to be transported via JetPets from Townsville to Brisbane; and possibly directly to our home.

4. A netted outdoor trampoline & swing play set for my two youngest energetic daughters.

5. A chook enclosure (chook pen/house) to be erected.

6. A new car (trade in) ~ a dual cab ute or family size 4wd that has air conditioning. My current car doesn’t have air con working.

7. Medical costs (unknown expenses) in relation to my Cancer Treatments as an Inpatient/Outpatient, and medicines.

I am currently an inpatient of Toowoomba Base Hospital since Monday 10th July, in order to have a much needed Bone Marrow Biopsy & PET Scan and another Biopsy and my Lymphoma now has a name and stage. It is a rare and highly aggressive lymphoma and I am super blessed to have listened to my body and had it checked when I did. My first cancer treatment commences this coming Monday or Tuesday.

Between the stresses of having emergency gall bladder removal surgery in December 2022, being forcefully vacated from our home without compensation from our Federal Government and not having State Government social/public housing assistance to alleviate this nationwide housing crisis whether financially or in terms of providing safe secure affordable accommodation to reside in after vacating our NRAS home; my finances on a Carers Pension are limited.

So I am reaching out to the wider world, and community of gofundme for my little family; my daughters in particular who I feel could be empowered and uplifted by generous caring family friends and individuals unknown to us. Please support us in our time of need. I rarely ask for help or a hand up; however I’m admitting to myself I need to ask for help.

if you’ve read this far, Thank you and I appreciate any donations towards bettering our future. I am grateful for your kindness, and your change that you’ve helped create in this world.

COURAGE * HOPE * RESILIENCE * KINDNESS * STRENGTH * LIVE * LAUGH * LOVE

excess funds will be donated to Lymphoma Australia, the Oncology Ward at Toowoomba Hospital, and Cancer Council Qld