Support Bridget in her fight against Stage 4 Neuroendocrine

My name is Olivia, Bridget and I have been the absolute closest of friends for over 20 years and over the last few months our world has been turned upside down.

The week of Bridget’s 29th Birthday in early April 2024 she begun to feel increasingly unwell and suffering pain in her stomach. Despite pushing through and ignoring the discomfort Bridget kept working her job where she works as a Team Leader at Aspire in Disability and doing the daily life of a Mother of an almost 2 year old.

Bridget sought medical care as the pain she was in was getting quite bad and at the point she couldn’t ignore. Following her visit at the Urgent Care Clinic she was sent to the hospital for scans after what was thought to be a gallbladder attack. At these initial scans there were lesions found on her Pancreas and Liver and the big bad C word, Cancer, started to be thrown around the room.

Due to the initial pain Bridget was in and to get further testing done, Bridget was admitted to the hospital where she spent the next week there. This was the first time Bridget was away from her then 22 month old daughter, Serena, for more than a night and it was incredibly tough on her.

Over the next two months Bridget begun the very anxious wait for answers, she went through a number of tests, scans, including a very painful Liver biopsy to get some answers on the lesions.

On the 30th May Bridget was given the news she has Grade 3 Stage 4 Neuroendocrine Cancer that started in the tail of the pancreas and has spread to the liver.

At this point you’ve got to laugh because the day after receiving the Cancer diagnosis Bridget also tested positive to Covid for the first time.

Bridget really believes she has someone watching over her because the night she went to ED it was coincidental that her incredible Oncology Doctor was working doing general medicine and took an interest in the uniqueness of Bridget’s case based on her age and general health as this type of cancer is very rare. Bridget was linked up with the Peter Mac Cancer Centre in Melbourne, where she will receive some of the care with specialist in her form of cancer. Thankfully some of her care can be done here in Albury at the Border Cancer Centre.

Bridget begins her long battle with Chemotherapy on the 14th of June, the day after her daughters 2nd Birthday and unfortunately the type of chemotherapy she will be having isn’t covered by the PBS so this has some large financial impacts on her family in an already very tough time.

If you know Bridget you’d know she isn’t one to ask for help and but unfortunately Cancer doesn’t discriminate and the financial costs of treatment, travel, loss of work/income, expensive childcare costs and general life expenses keep coming, as unfortunately the bills and craziness of life doesn’t stop even when your whole world turns upside down.

They don’t have answers on prognosis yet, some will depend on how her body responds to the chemo. Since the cancer is stage four and has progressed to other major organs it’s non-curable and Bridget will live with it the rest of her life but it is treatable and Bridget is feeling strong and ready to fight!

Any funds received will go towards any medical related expenses Bridget and her beautiful family occur during Bridget’s fight!

Thank you X