Donate to HELP Abi’s Battle with BREAST CANCER

***** UPDATE- More funds needed to help Abi on this journey! Abi is able to have another round of treatment to freeze her eggs

This means we can pay for the medications needed and the procedure to get as many eggs as we can.

We have raised enough to freeze one lot of eggs (THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE) but unfortunately only 2 eggs were mature enough to freeze but they weren’t the best quality and this could be due to stress.

There is time to do one more round which Abi is starting this Saturday. A hidden cost we didn’t foresee was that it costs £370 a year to keep the eggs frozen after the first year.

We are hoping to raise enough to freeze her eggs for 5 years at least.

Stress is tough at this time and something we are also fundraising for is reflexology to help alongside this so Abi has booked in for 5 sessions to support the egg retrieval process.

Any extra money raised will go towards getting Abi a good quality wig which can be fitted to her specifically, some beneficial holistic treatments. As you can imagine, sick benefits only covers so much.

We (Abi’s friends) want so much for her and could give a list as long as your arm of the things which would benefit her, but these are our essentials for her. We don’t want cancer to be her story in life anymore and anything we can do to help her- we will!

Summary: This campaign has been created to raise urgent funds so our dear girl Abi Galatia who has just been diagnosed with CANCER for a SECOND time - can save her dream of starting a family. To do this Abi needs to have egg retrieval as part of fertility treatment before she starts chemotherapy for an aggressive form of breast cancer she currently has.

Abi, who has recently been diagnosed with stage 2, grade 3 triple negative breast cancer is due to start chemotherapy on the 6th of June 2023 and needs to undergo urgent egg retrieval prior to this, in order to save her chances of being a mother.

Abi has had a battle with Cancer for over a decade. Starting aged 23 Abi lost her Mum to stomach and lung cancer due to the neglect of the NHS Doctors, who misdiagnosed her in 2010, then just 3 shorts years after Abis mum died, in 2013 when Abi was just 26, Abi herself was diagnosed with a very aggressive, rare type of bone cancer.

Abi underwent a gruelling regime of 68 rounds of chemotherapy (which is close to 10 times the amount people usually undergo) She’s had 6 life altering surgeries on her arm and shoulder - leaving her with huge scars up and down her body, and an arm that doesn’t work properly which has stopped her from pursuing her carrer in photography. She's suffered horrific and extreme adverse reactions to the chemo, including a stroke, fertility and heart damage as well as being diagnosed with PTSD post chemotherapy.

Again due to incorrect information and lack of care from her previous fertility Doctor, Abi was unable to freeze her eggs when her womb was fit and healthy prior to starting chemotherapy; as a result, her eggs were frozen during chemo, resulting in her only being able to collect JUST two eggs afterwards. On average a woman at her age at time of retrieval would usually have 10-16 healthy eggs, so two is extremely low. This has severely and adversely impacted her fertility and chances of conceiving a child: with just two eggs, her chances of being a mother are just 16%. This is why it's a matter of urgency that Abi is able to freeze her eggs prior to starting chemo again.

This April 2023 Abi has now, once again been diagnosed with cancer and after applying to have more eggs frozen via the NHS before starting chemotherapy, despite fitting their criteria - her request has been denied!

This leaves Abi with no choice but to pay privately to have fertility treatment, which she is unable to afford.

Having reached 10 years all clear of cancer Abi was so excited and looking forward to becoming the mother she’d always dreamed I’d being, a mum just like her own. It’s now highly unlikely Abi will conceive naturally following the upcoming rounds of chemotherapy for her breast cancer.

Abi also is awaiting gene testing results, to find out whether she has the Cancer gene, this could result in her having to have her ovaries removed all together, another reason we must raise this money and get her eggs frozen ASAP.

Following Abi’s latest surgery in January 2023 that replaced her shoulder joint and humerus bone, she has been unable to undertake her work as a photographer, leading to a significant reduction in her income.

Because of this, we, Abi’s friends, are fundraising for her to have private fertility treatment, which will cost an estimated £6,000. https://www.fertilitybristol.com

We are also fundraising for the holistic side of her therapies such as supplementary natural treatments and support through hair loss. This is important for the emotional and physical burden that the upcoming treatments will once again place on her. We are looking into all options alongside her chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Given that Abi has had cancer in the past she is extremely worried and wants to make sure that she has the best chance of survival.

Abi has a consultation with a company who provides hair pieces that are taped to your head weekly, which really helps with coping with the psychological side effects of losing hair.

In just two weeks’ time, Abi was meant to have her last ever cancer scan and was planning an ‘all clear from cancer celebration’. Then she found her current cancer in her breast.

This latest diagnosis has had an understandably huge effect on her mental health; although the cancer has been detected early, having a life to look forward to after her treatment -particularly having a family- is massively important for her well-being and thus its longer-term success.

Abi’s chemo/immuno-therapy, surgery and radiotherapy will go on until next year. Due to the aggressive, fast-growing nature of her cancer, Abi needs to start chemotherapy in the next few weeks: hence the rush to fundraise for her.

PLEASE HELP!!