Sal Shipard, Matildas Alumni, ovarian cancer fund

One of our Matildas Alumni, Sally Shipard (Cap #131), has been diagnosed with Mucinous adenocarcinoma - a form of cancer that makes up less than 10% of ovarian cancers. This type of ovarian cancer spreads like bowel cancer. Sal has undergone a marathon surgery called a peritonectomy and has at least 6months of chemo ahead.

Sally won't be able to work during that time, so this page is to raise funds to compensate loss of earnings and assist with ongoing medical costs.

Below is a message from Sally and her wife, April Davies:

"As April penning this, I will never fully understand what this experience is like for Sal. She can only describe it as having the rug ripped out from under her feet. The world she once knew, has been turned on its head. Sal has been advised not to make plans for at least six months following the peritonectomy surgery. This is to cover the hospital stay, recovery time, and the chemo journey ahead.

This experience is hard, intense and at times exhausting in many ways. As a footballer, Sal was open about her mental health struggles and she continues to work on this with the support of a psych from the AIS days. The focus and strength she utilised as an elite athlete has been woken from a slumber and we’re excited about this. My mental health naturally gets thrown into the mix as I try to juggle work, caring for a velcro dog, and growing our food. We’ve gone from talking about what varieties of cauliflower to plant to talking about the “cauliflower cyst” on her ovary that has spread through the peritoneal region. The mental health aspect of this is huge and it’s scary how this intersects in the form of relationship.

We’re mindful that we are not the only people in this situation and we also know that not everyone has the Matilda’s alumni behind them to set up a go fund me page - we are so grateful for this. We accepted the offer acknowledging that any financial pressure that can be eased will greatly improve this stressful time and help cover the loss of income, specialist consultations, trips to Sydney, psychology, couples counselling etc. Our hopes and dreams are that the legacy of this will not be with us and our families any longer than it needs to.

Whether you choose to donate or not, thanks for taking the time to read this. We are deeply appreciative of any positive vibes you send our way."

Sending love and support to you, Sally x