The Florence Nightingale appeal for the most amazing Nurse

Dawn is a young nurse from the Philippines who came to the UK to follow her dreams; moreso to work in order to sustain her family’s financial needs. She was considered as breadwinner of the family as she was sending her siblings to college.

Only after few months of working in a private nursing home, she was diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer and has to undergo surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy at a young age of 23. Due to her treatment, she had to stop working and hoping to become better so she can go back to work. Private nursing homes are on a “no work, no pay” scheme. So she decided to apply to the NHS so she can avail sick leave with pay to sustain her financial needs even while on treatment. Soon enough after her first cycle of treatment, Dawn got a job in the NHS and worked again full time while ongoing active cancer treatments.

Dawn depended her core support from friends as she has no family in the UK. The effects of chemotherapy had made Dawn’s self esteem hit rock bottom. She needed her Mum to come to the UK for moral and psychological support with her battles. Dawn had resorted to ask resources from charities to aid her day to day expenses and her mum’s visa & plane fare. Eventually her mum was able to come to look after her; but it was shortlived as Dawn’s dad was diagnosed with Leukemia and needed treatment in the Philippines urgently. Her mum had to go home. A few months after, Dawn’s dad passed away. Brokenhearted, Dawn couldn’t go home to pay her last respects as she was very vulnerable and the pandemic kept her in isolation.

Moving forward, 5 years of continuous treatment with radiotherapy and multiple switches of oral chemotherapy and hormonal therapies yet no remission at all. The cancer cells have metastasized to other parts of her major organs. Dawn was subjected again to another cycle of IV chemotherapy but 3 months later, the cancer cells had spread immensely. In other words, the treatment did not work.

At present, Dawn is off work again and is not receiving anymore pay from NHS as she has maximised her occupational sick pay. She is only relying on statutory sick pay which is soon to be exhausted as well.

Dawn is still hopeful that there is treatment out there that would work. She did a lot of research and found a potential treatment where the process is to starve cancer cells. A lot of positive testimonies regarding the treatment have sparked hope for Dawn. Unfortunately, NHS does not fund such kind of treatment. She has to source out from her end. The treatment will be in London and she has to fly in so often to attend her treatments. The course of treatment is quite expensive considering her flights and accomodation on top of it all.

As friends and colleagues of Dawn, we are knocking into your warm and kind hearts to help us raise funds for her. May we join and support her in this battle to encourage her that life is not that bad after all. We also want to ask for a lot of prayers for this treatment to work as we are believers of God’s mighty and powerful healing hands. May we all be blessed as we share some amount for Dawn’s cancer journey. We are looking forward to seeing Dawn back to our healthcare facility and to be an inspiration to other people who is going through the same battle as she is now. Sincerely thanking you all. God bless.