Lets shrink the tumour & bring 3yr old Dylan home

They say that tragedy comes in 3 & it usually happens to the best of us. Unfortunately, this has been the case for my best friend Ange & her family.

Imagine being 37 years old, having 5 kids (two teenagers, a 2-year-old & 6-month-old TWINS) & being diagnosed with hormone positive lobular breast cancer. Well in November 2020 this was Ange & Matt's reality that turned their lives upside down. But with their strength, determination & unwaivering love & support from Matt, family & friends, Ange soldiered through 6 months worth of chemo, 15 rounds of radiation & a single masectomy. She is still not in remission & later this year is booked in for a gruelling reconstruction surgery where she will have the implant on the left side removed and a right breast mastectomy. Both breasts will be reconstructed using her own tummy tissue to reduce the long-term complications and risks involved with using implants. The suggested recovery time for this is 4-6 months.

Fast forward to July 2021, Ange tragically lost her younger brother Rodger to a light aircraft accident, leaving behind his wife & two children. Burrying a younger sibling is something nobody should have to do. But with the unwaivering love & support from Matt, family & friends, Ange soldiered on with her busy life as best she could, putting others before herself & being the most amazing, hardworking & dedicated Wife, Mum, Friend & Employee.

Just when Ange was starting to heal from the grief of losing her brother, their lives were turned upside down again on Friday 21st April 2023, when Ange discovered a lump on (3-year-old) Dylan's tummy. After a trip to the Emergency Department @ Townsville Hospital, they were booked on the first available Royal Flying Doctors flight & were chartered to the Queensland Childrens Hospital in Brisbane. This is where the specialists found a 7.26cm mass on Dylan's left kidney & smaller tumours on both lungs. Dylan has had surgery where they took a biopsy & inserted a port (central line) for chemotherapy. He's already had 2 rounds of CAPTAIN CHEMO which he has been so brave throughout the process. Dylan will continue chemo weekly / fortnightly for 6 months. Dylan will also have surgery to remove his kidney and tumour once it is safe to do.

As you can imagine this has been quite traumatic for the whole family & whilst Dylan was initially seperated from the rest of his family, his twin brother Sean is now in Brisbane with Dylan & Ange where they will live for the next 6 months atleast, whilst they continue Dylans Treatment Plan. Matt, Kyle & Makayla will stay in Townsville for work & school and will travel to Brisbane to visit as often as they possibly can.

For those who know Matt & Ange, know that they will never ask for help, so here I am doing it against their will & asking for your help to try and alleviate the financial burden of running two households, flying Matt, Makayla & Kyle from Townsville to Brisbane as often as possible & all the other expenses in between.

Matt & Ange are the most humble, selfless, hardworking, generous people who would do anything for anyone & do not deserve the cruel challenges that have been put before them.

Any contributions big or small will be received with heartfelt gratitude & if any of my friends in Brisbane have a few spare hours to spare on any one day, I know Ange would appreciate some company, a chat, a coffee & a big warm hug.

Much love to you all, never take your health for granted & give your loved ones an extra tight hug tonight xx