Our Mum, Brenda's fight against Mesothelioma

Our Mum, Brenda, was diagnosed with Pleural Mesothelioma in April 2011. This cancer comes from exposure to Asbestos and causes the lining around the outside of the lung to thicken as the tumour grows. Since 2011 we have been on a journey - from never hearing of this kind of cancer, to learning how to spell it, then trying to come to terms with the fact that this disease has no cure. Mum has had cancer before and beaten it with her 'never give up' attitude. As a family we were devastated by this second cancer diagnosis. We were told that it was likely that in 18 months to 2 years Mum wouldn't be with us anymore and that we had a small amount of palliative treatments available to ease her symptoms temporarily.

We were all pretty thrown by this news, to us there was no way this could be happening to her, she's had more than her fair share of bad times - she lost her husband, our dad in 1990, has had breast cancer, tinnitus, pneumonia! As our Mum, she is our tireless and unrelenting supporter - the head and heart of our family. She raised (could say still is) us four kids - for the last 26 years by herself. She is an amazing friend, there is nothing that she wouldn't do for the people she loves. Still today after all she has endured - she worries more about others than she does herself. She is simply remarkable.

As such, she deserves nothing but the best - which is where this page comes in! Since being diagnosed she has had pleurodesis to seal her lung and lung wall together. Then radiation and surgery to remove a lump that grew as a result of the pleurodesis and one round of the first line chemotherapy for this cancer which resulted in her having to have two blood transfusions! As you can see she is a fighter.

BUT

This year, a cancer that has been very gradually growing over the last few years has started to pick up pace. After many months of increasing pain and discomfort in her abdomen along with significant weight-loss that was originally attributed a potential gastro issue, we were told in November that the Mesothelioma was now in her abdomen.

All cards on the table, we want more time, Mum needs to see her cancer stopped and her tumours shrink in order for her quality of life to improve. The best funded treatment option Mum can take is a second-line Chemotherapy treatment that has a 10% chance of shrinking the tumours. The best treatment she can have would be a non-funded treatment called Keytruda, which would more than double the chance of her cancer shrinking. This is of course the path that we as family wish to take. Mum isn't ready to stop the fight and we aren't either. We are willing to throw everything we have at this cancer but with the cost being roughly just under $7,600 per treatment it is expensive.

We have a 4 treatment window to see whether Keytruda will work for Mum and anything that we can get to put towards the cost of this would be amazing. Mum is simply remarkable and our hero - we have to hope that this will give her the time and quality of life that she so greatly deserves.

Thank you all for taking the time to read about her and our cause