Team Tess - Support Tess Trimboli through her cancer relapse

On Sunday the 13th of October, my friend Tess Trimboli (aka Tess Grooms) received the news no cancer survivor wants to hear: the beast is back.

She had just reached three years post treatment for Triple Positive Breast Cancer when blurry vision prompted a visit to the Alfred Hospital’s emergency department.

The verdict? Three tumours, the largest measuring 4.5 centimetres, had decided Tess’s brain looked like a good place to call home.

Surgery was scheduled within days. Tess had a section of her skull removed so surgeons could access her unwanted guests. She now has what she calls a ‘reverse mohawk’ and a ‘gnarly scar’.

With surgery done, the good news about the smaller masses being benign was outweighed by the bad news that confirmed the big mass (which Tess has named Orpheus), was cancerous. It was most likely caused by some stray cells that dodged the original radiation and chemo Tess had in the US.

The next step is at least six months of chemotherapy and radiation, along with a six month driving ban. Mobility aside, we know that not being able to hit the road will be tough for a car-lover like Tess.

If all goes according to plan, Tess will be able to ease back into real life around May.

So between now and then, what can we do to help? Ideally, we can raise some funds to ease the pressure while she’s unable to work.

Tess is a wife and mum, who has lots of responsibilities she needs to cover. Her daughters Lisa (20) and Jenna (18) are both students. Her husband Frank is one of the amazing people involved in Australia’s annual fight against bushfires, but his job means he works between the northern and southern hemispheres.

The priority is to help Tess cover bills, like gas, water, electricity, insurance, food, the internet, and the prescription drugs that go with the next six months of treatment.

Taxi fares are also likely to pop up at times given how often Tess will need to travel to the Alfred for chemo, radiation, PET scans, CT scans, MRIs and blood tests.

This relapse is a huge blow to Tess and her family, but she’s a fighter who’s taken everything in her stride, with a side-serve of her signature dark humour.

She’s not one to ask for help, so I’m doing it for her. Tess is an amazing, strong, positive person who’s supported many fellow cancer patients during her journey.

If you can spare some cash and some positive thoughts, it would be much appreciated.