Bring Selena Home

My name is Nicola and I am appealing for donations to help bring my youngest sister Selena back home to Manchester by air ambulance.

Selena is 39 years old and working as a teacher in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam when she became suddenly unwell on 9th December 2022. She was admitted to hospital with pulmonary embolisms (lung clots) and deep vein thromboses and further investigations discovered she has cervical cancer.

I flew out to Ho Chi Minh with our 78-year-old mother on 22nd December. We were fortunate that the hospital allowed Selena to be discharged on Christmas Day so we could spend time together. We returned to the hospital on Boxing Day morning to receive the devastating news that Selena has a rare and fast-growing cancer which has already spread to her liver and is at stage 4.

Selena desperately wants to return home to South Manchester. We, her family, want to fulfil her wish and bring her back home as soon as possible but the only way this can happen is for her to be flown back by a medical team. Selena was born with a heart defect, she needed major heart surgery as a baby, and again age 9. Her existing heart condition, pulmonary embolisms and advanced cancer means the high altitude when flying means she needs close monitoring by a specialist medical team throughout the flight to keep her comfortable and reduce her risk of very serious complications. Whilst Selena does have medical insurance in Vietnam, it does not cover repatriation back to her own country.

Selena has already received her first cycle of chemotherapy in Ho Chi Minh city, but we desperately want to bring her back home to live with her mum and have the care and support of friends and family. Vietnamese immigration rules mean my mother and I cannot stay in Vietnam long term. Once we leave the country Selena will be left on her own with no practical or emotional support.

Everything is in place for Selena’s arrival back in the UK. Our family GP has been informed and the Vietnamese oncology team have already made the referral to The Christie Hospital in Manchester.

The cost of flying Selena home from Vietnam to Manchester by air ambulance is enormous. Our family can raise some of the money required but not enough, we still need to raise a significant amount.

Any donation you can make is greatly appreciated as it brings us a step closer to making Selena’s wish come true so she can spend whatever time she has left surrounded by her family and friends.

Any funds we raise that exceed the cost of bringing Selena home by air ambulance will be donated to The Christie Hospital charity in Manchester to help them make a real difference to people living with cancer and their families.

Thank you.