Rewild rovers - Lisas legacy

Hi,

My name is Kerry and it is with a very heavy heart, that I have decided to set up a fundraiser for my beautiful, brave friend Lisa who after 8 months of falls and seizures, has finally been given the worst news ever, with a diagnosis of an inoperable grade 3-4 Astrocytoma Brain Tumour.

Despite Chemo and Radiotherapy starting immediately, which will make her very poorly, this will only potentially extend life for a short while. However it being a high grade tumour, there is a chance it may not work.

Lisa has not felt well for a few years, but on the 11th September 2023, what seemed like a careless mishap involving a rusty five-bar gate and an overeager jump, turned into something a lot more serious. She spent the next five months off work, with two broken bones and a near severed cruciate ligament. Her recovery was poor but she desperately wanted to get back to her dream job that she missed so much.

Two days before returning to work in January 2024 she sadly had a huge seizure whilst home alone. She was blue-lighted to Lincoln Hospital and was initially thought to have had a stroke. She spent the most traumatic 37 hours in the A&E waiting room before being admitted, and has described the experience as "Utter carnage, the sort of stuff nightmares are made of". Eventually a consultant told her, in front of 100 strangers, that she had an 'infarction' on the brain and would need to be admitted urgently.

She was initially told it was a grade 2 tumour and less advanced, but was booked in immediately for brain surgery to have a biopsy. Sadly the results of this showed the initial thoughts were not correct and it was actually a grade 3-4 Astrocytoma and the prognosis is poor, even with treatment.

Tests are ongoing but Lisa is now Epileptic and has lost her driving license, her mobility has also declined drastically and she has lost all of her independence. While her amazing children Freya and Gabe, the entire rest of her family, and of course her wonderful partner Trevor have been incredibly supportive, Lisa's care needs are going to increase over the next few months which is going to be very challenging as Trevor is self-employed and unbelievably not entitled to any benefits at this stage.

It is becoming harder for Lisa to be left alone due to her ongoing seizures which is extremely stressful for both of them.

Anyone that knows Lisa and Trevor will have noted that they have incredible passion for nature and photography, and take many trips exploring new places in their van. During treatment Lisa's immune system will not allow her to mix with anyone outside of the house for fear of infection, but if the treatment does reduce the tumour a little her and Trevor would really love to do a couple more shorter trips afterwards to leave a lasting legacy:

1 - Raise awareness of brain tumours and the symptoms to look out for. Lisa knew there was something amiss but was told it was probably all linked to the menopause, she feels she should have gone back and pushed for more tests but unfortunately it is now too late.

2 - Fundraise for a few local wildlife charities and rewilding projects close to Lisa's heart, that go above and beyond but are sadly underfunded.

3 - Raise awareness for The Brains Trust and Maggies Cancer Support centre in Nottingham 4.Help fund some of the equipment Lisa will need in the coming months and fit some grab handles in the van to enable her to get in and out.

At this stage Lisa and Trevor are just desperate to spend more time together, and be able to put a few disability aids into the van to allow them to continue adventuring until it's not possible anymore. Raising a bit of money would also allow Lisa to spend some quality time with her children who live quite far away in the north of England.

Lisa and Trevor are both very frugal and try to live eco-friendly, always recycling what others may deem as useless, but more than anything they love nature and each other.

They would also like to continue their Nocturnal Migration #nocmig recordings which is something they have been doing for a while. This means capturing bird sounds at night through audio recorders, they are then able to add that data to track and document migration patterns. This is crucial to understanding the effects of the environment/changing weather on where birds nest, feed and breed. With Lisa unable to walk now, this is something that benefits her mental health and distracts from the inevitable future for a while.

Time is running out for Lisa, and she would love to see the Outer Hebrides and Ireland before she goes, so I am asking you to please help me get her there. They would also like to invite people to join them periodically at certain locations throughout their journeys, maybe even camping the night or wild swimming, another of their passions. Lisa has said to me, "most people know that I am fiercely independent and hate asking anyone for anything, but this is my last chance to speak on behalf of those without voices and contribute towards more understanding of brain cancers, how debilitating they can become, and in my case how silently they grow."

Lisa is the most vivacious, outgoing, independent and kind-hearted soul, who has spent the last few years not only being a crutch for her friends and family, but also passionately trying to do her part in saving our planet. She is an incredible photographer and over the years has captured images most of us can't even imagine. She has always loved immersing herself in nature, something she is now finding some solace in.

Some lights just shine too bright to ever go out, that's how I've always thought of Lisa. but sadly we cannot change the outcome no matter how much we love someone. The only thing we can do now is help her to achieve her last wishes, please donate what you can, thank you very much.